Ex-Maldives leader asks for more prison leave

COLOMBO — Former Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed has requested two more months’ leave from prison after traveling to London for urgent medical treatment, the honeymoon island nation’s government said on Tuesday. Nasheed, whose conviction and jailing last year on terror-related charges has been widely criticized, was allowed to fly to Britain for 30 days to receive spinal surgery. His leave expired on Monday, but the Maldivian High Commission in Colombo said he had been granted more time to complete his application for a two-month extension. “Nasheed has been given more time to complete his application for medical leave,” the High Commission said in a statement, without giving more details. The 48-year-old was accorded a red carpet welcome and received by Prime Minister David Cameron after arriving in Britain in January. Nasheed’s legal team includes the high-profile human rights lawyer Amal Clooney. He told reporters at the time that he had not yet decided whether to return to the Maldives to resume his 13-year jail sentence. Nasheed’s party confirmed that he had applied for an extension and was prepared to submit any documents the government required. Aishath Azima Shakoor, Maldives’ minister for legal affairs in the president’s office, told reporters in Colombo last month that an extension request would be viewed favourably. — AFP