Former President Mohamed Nasheed, who has been granted asylum by the British government, has returned to the United Kingdom after staying in Sri Lanka since March.

An official from the Maldivian Democratic Party said that the opposition leader had departed on Thursday.

Nasheed had briefed various diplomatic missions in Sri Lanka about the political situation in the Maldives, which according to the opposition is marred by deteriorating rule of law and politicized trials against members of the opposition.

Nasheed had been sentenced to 13 years in prison in 2015, for detaining chief judge Abdulla Mohamed.

The British government granted him asylum after he left the Maldives for medical reasons.