Man arrested following hunger strike remanded for 15 days

Criminal Court, on Sunday ordered a 15-day remand for a man arrested following a hunger strike staged by a local resident over a long-standing public nuisance issue in a Malé neighborhood.

Mohamed Saeed, who holds a responsible job, began a hunger strike at the Henveiru Police Station at 8:00am on Saturday, expressing deep frustration over a persistent public nuisance that has remained unresolved for the past year and a half.

The individual accused of the nuisance is 43-year-old Ahmed Fairish, a native of HA. Hoarafushi with a prior criminal record. Although Fairish was arrested last night following the hunger strike, Saeed initially refused to end his protest, noting that Fairish had previously been arrested and released on numerous occasions.

Saeed eventually ended his 35-hour hunger strike on Sunday after receiving assurances from relevant state authorities that the matter would be resolved permanently.

Fairish faces allegations of intimidation, criminal damage, assault, and obstructing police duties. In its remand order, the Criminal Court stated that sufficient preliminary evidence—including statements from the victim, police incident reports, and detention records—supported his continued detention.

While police presented evidence alleging that Fairish had threatened individuals and damaged property, the suspect denied all allegations during the hearing. The court also took into consideration his previous detention record and set the expiry of his remand for Monday, November 2.

Following the conclusion of his protest, Saeed said he would continue to monitor whether the commitments made by state institutions to resolve the issue are fully implemented. The Police confirmed that Fairish had recently been in custody but resumed his disruptive behavior immediately after his release.