Statement given to the Chief of Staff Adam Zahir (Chief Torturer) on the brutal killing of innocent and unarmed civilian inmates in Maafushi Prison in Maldives by the authority

Translation
Statement given to the Chief of Staff Zahir (Deputy Chief Torturer) on the brutal killing of innocent and unarmed civilian inmates in Maafushi Prison in Maldives by the authority

Statement No: RC-A-297
Presidential Commission
President’s Office
Malé

Name in full:         Brig. Mohamed Zahir                Date of Birth/Age: 27.03.1949
Permanent Address: H. Dhivaru                             National ID No:      A-03996
Father’s Name: Late Sikka Don Manik          Present Address: H. Dhivaru
Profession: NSS Brig./Chief of Staff              Date: 24 November 2003

I have been in the service of the National Security Service for 25 years. Since 1996, I am the NSS Chief of Staff. In the hierarchy structure of the NSS, big sections, for example, like Police, Coast Guard, Fire Rescue Service, report to the Ministry of Defence and National Security directly. Others, for example, units like Quick Reaction Force (QRF 2) report to their respective heads. Certain kinds of units are not to report direct to me. Some units are those that report direct to the Deputy Chief of Armed Forces. Yet other units reported to Adam Zahir when he was here. However, on matters relating to the welfare of the forces other units have called me. It is mostly because I am the budget controller of all units. If some thing important happens at the NSS, I am informed some times as the chief of staff. Thus, if some thing unusually important happens in the QRF 2, I am also informed, some times. I was in QRF2 at first. That is after the incident of fire at Gaamaadhoo the project was assigned to me. At that time, Col. (Rtd.) Shaukath Ibrahim was working with me in the unit. Col. Shaukath was remained in the unit after me. When Col. Shaukath was in charge of the unit, he reported to the Deputy Chief of Armed Forces. Under Shaukath then was the Maj. Ahmed Mohamed. Three or four months later, Maj. Ahmed Mohamed was given the charge of the unit. After Ahmed Mohamed, the unit was assigned to Ibrahim Latheef. The unit went under the police while Ibrahim Latheef was in charge of the unit. On 21 April this year, the name of the unit was changed in the process of some NSS units transforming, changing in function, some units being combined and others separated. In this way, a Detention Security Unit was created under which was brought detention and arrest. At that time, too, the detention units were under the police. They are Dhoonidhoo, Gaamaadhoo, Maafushi and people detained in Malé. Even before the Detention Security Unit was created the unit was under the control of the police. Ibrahim Latheef was at the unit then. He was reporting to the Commissioner of Police, Adam Zahir. When the Detention Security Unit was created Lt. Col. Ibrahim Rasheed was in charge of the unit. In all matters relating to the unit, he must report to the Commissioner of Police. All instructions concerning the unit are given by the Commissioner. As I indicated before, as I am informed if an important thing that happens in the NSS, on 19 September 2003 night I received information on two things about Maafushi prison. Thus, the Maj. Ibrahim Latheef told me on phone that as a serviceman was seriously injured when he was hit while trying to get someone out of a cell in Maafushi prison, the launch that was sent to bring him to Malé ran on a reef. After Latheef has called, the Maj. Farhath Shaheer (the transport service commanding officer) called and told me that the launch went aground. I told both of them why did they send the launch without my permission. When I asked so, they said it was sent because the deputy told to. The same night, after Farhath has called, Maj. Ibrahim Latheef rang me and said that a prisoner in Maafushi prison died while he was being handled outside his cell. And said that the man who died was one who hit the serviceman. No more details than this did Latheef tell me. Maafushi was set up as a security unit following the blaze in Gaamaadhoo prison five years ago. When there was no where for the prisoners in Gaamaadhoo prison at that time, the Chief of Armed Forces told me to find a place suitable to keep them. I looked for a place nearby Male' to keep them temporarily. While searching an island near to Male' I went to Thulusdoo and checked the island. In Thulusdhoo, the building used for a factory was badly damaged. In that island people told me that Maafushi also had a factory stopped recently. With this information I went to Maafushi and saw the factory there was fairly good. Having come back I told that there was a good place to keep the prisoners where they can be put up temporarily. There were three buildings used by the factory workers and a large hall used as the factory when it was running in Maafushi. The hall was such that the prisoners can be placed. These places were made suitable to keeping prisoners using the servicemen. Inside the large hall an iron wall was erected from side to side and divided into cells. The corridor outside the iron wall was used by men on duty. This place was decided to be an investigation prison where people will be kept during the investigation stage. Those who are sentenced to prison are kept in the three buildings used by the factory workers. Following these arrangements, Maafushi prison was managed by the forces. When the forces managed it, there were very good rules and regulations governing the prison. And, also, rules on how to deal with the prisoners were established. In this way, a file is prepared for each prisoner. Once in three days, the file would be evaluated and shown to him, his progress and what were his mistakes explained, recorded them and have them signed by him. The file must show his behaviour in detail since he was detained till released. The prison regulations, rules of prisoners, what they can do and what they are prohibited are told to them and signed by them. The rules just mentioned were made before me. So I know about them. The punishment to the prisoners is solitary detention and handcuffing. How to handcuff is not in the rules. The rules say only to handcuff. Solitary detention is keeping him in a cell. Otherwise than this there is no other place or other way for solitary detention. One day (I don’t remember which day now), the Lt. Mohamed Aswan came and told me that some unusual things are happening in Maafushi prison. I told him that such things about the prison are not reported direct to me. Take them up with the concerned person. As I could recall, I could tell him so much. I did not know if a report was submitted. That Aswan was sent back to Maafushi Lt. Col. Ibrahim Rasheed told me. And he was detained within the island restricted from coming to Malé. However, a notice of arrest was not received by the Office of the Chief of Staff. He did not tell me that the report that Aswan is said to have sent was not taken any corrective action on any thing by those who received it. The rule on the transfer of men from one unit to another is to exchange men between two units with the agreement of the heads of the units. If a man has been exchanged thus among units, the Office of the Chief of Staff must be informed of that. The register of all the employees of the NSS is maintained by our office. If men have been swapped from units the registry needs to be amended, so the information must be received. There is no rule of exchanging people between units for a certain period. The officers in units are changed at the discretion of the heads. This statement has been made on my own will without force from anyone.

Mohamed Zahir

Drawn by: Shaheen Hameed

Listened by: Abdul Sattar Moosa Didi

Aishath Mohamed Didi

Abdulla Saeed

Dr Mohamed Salih

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