Saturday, September 1, 2007

Still dont know if Solah died in custody

1st September 2007
Report: Soodh


A report submitted to the People's Majlis by its Petition Committee said that the committee has done a long study about the handling of the case of Hussain Solah of Seenu Hithadhoo Naazukeege whose body was found floating in the southern harbour of Male' on 15 April 2007. The report of the Petition Committee was read by its chairman Noonu Member Abdullah Yamin. Yamin said the committee had met with a large number of concerned people and collected information about the case. The committee however had not carried out an investigation on the cause of the death but studied what took place from the time his body was found and buried after doing some investigations including a post mortem in Sri Lanka,

Yamin said the committee had a specific mandate and it was not asked to do an investigation on the death of Solah who was arrested by Police on suspected drug charges. Police have said he was released from their custody on 13 April but there were serious accusations that Solah died in Police custody which the Police denied. However there have been conflicting reports by the police and doctors who examined Solah's body. A post mortem of his body was done in Colombo at the request of his parents, the tests revealed Solah had died due to drowning and he has not sustained major injuries. But the investigations could not establish whether he died in Police custody or not.

In yesterday's debate on the petition committee report, this was the crucial question some members asked. They said the report and its findings have not found an answer to the most important question. But Foamulah member Mohamed Ibrahim Didi said the findings have indicated Solah's body was found 36 hours or 24 hours after he had died. Some members of the committee had asked a full investigation on the mysterious death but the Majlis has not made a ruling on that. Some members said there were many things which have not come to surface and mysterious deaths have taken place in jail. They said even the Police have given conflicting reports to the media in this case in a questionable manner. But the Police have denied these accusations.

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