It has been three years, 1097 days, since journalist Ahmed Rilwan's disappearance, and the question remains, "where is he? What happened to him?".
A report released by the family to mark the occasion noted that "there is room to believe, that the police's claims that the investigation into Rilwan's disappearance is ongoing, is a lie," due to its various failures, including to provide updates to his family and apprehend the culprits.
Noting that three suspects were arrested around a month after Rilwan's disappearance, the family emphasized that police had said they had made "immense progress" in the investigation.
"However, we have not seen the results of this progress. With two more arrests, a total of five suspects were arrested and released [then]. And then two more were apprehended on April 5, 2016, 606 days after Rilwan's disappearance. However, they were released as the rest. Hence there is room to believe that the police's claims that the investigation is ongoing is a lie," reads the report.
Expressing concern over the police's incompetency despite the evidence, the journalist's family said that this shows that "the Government of Maldives has no empathy for the Maldivian people".
Noting that Rilwan's best friend Yameen Rasheed, who had been the biggest campaigner in the search for Rilwan, was brutally killed, the family said that "criminals are able to carry out such acts because of the government's negligence". Writer Yameen Rasheed was stabbed to death in the early hours on the 23rd of April.
"Releasing the suspects in Rilwan's case allows them to repeat such criminal acts," the report said, emphasizing that "when the government wants to do so, a suspect can be kept in custody for as long as they want, till a trial concludes".
"Both Rilwan and Yameen's cases shows the negligence of the government institutions. The people can only see this a warning from the government," said Rilwan's family.
The report also noted that the family has gone to the various institutions in the quest for justice for Rilwan, including the Maldives Police Service, People's Majlis and senior government officials, and that their numerous appeals to meet with President Abdulla Yameen had been a failure.
Rilwan's family has filed for legal action against the police for refusing to disclose information in Rilwan's case, despite Right to Information being guaranteed by the Constitution. The case has been halted at the Civil Court since July 5, a hearing that was scheduled seven months after it was filed.
"Despite their motto being 'to protect and serve', the Maldives Police Service has failed to protect the people, or to provide any service to the people," said Rilwan's family.
Last seen in the early hours on 8th August 2014, Rilwan is believed to have been abducted outside his apartment building in Hulhumalé.
