The Maldives in transition : human rights and voices of dissent

This thesis explores the factors that have facilitated and inhibited the Maldives transition to a human rights respecting nation. The death of a young inmate in Maafushi Jail in September 2003 triggered events that led the Maldives to accept international human rights norms and to revise its Constit...

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Main Author: Didi, Aminath
Format: Thesis
Language:English
Published: Curtin University 2013
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/604
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author Didi, Aminath
author_facet Didi, Aminath
author_sort Didi, Aminath
building Curtin Institutional Repository
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description This thesis explores the factors that have facilitated and inhibited the Maldives transition to a human rights respecting nation. The death of a young inmate in Maafushi Jail in September 2003 triggered events that led the Maldives to accept international human rights norms and to revise its Constitution. It also led the Maldives to embrace pluralistic democracy leading to the fall of a thirty-year dictatorial regime in 2008. Data gathered through interviews with activists and dissidents, as well as policy and law makers were analysed using grounded theory methodology.Increasing domestic opposition as well as international pressure from transnational advocacy networks and international aid donors steered the Maldives from a path of relative isolation in the 20th century, into the globalised world of the 21st century. Through the use of modern means of communication, the opposition took to direct action on the streets to bring about a regime change. The findings from the data highlight some of the challenges facing the Maldives in its transitioning from authoritarian to democratic rule. Voice has been given to dissent through this research. Key challenges still remain for the country to move forward in its path to democracy and human rights.
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-6042021-01-22T07:54:42Z The Maldives in transition : human rights and voices of dissent Didi, Aminath human rights Maldives voices of dissent dictatorial regime democracy pluralistic democracy This thesis explores the factors that have facilitated and inhibited the Maldives transition to a human rights respecting nation. The death of a young inmate in Maafushi Jail in September 2003 triggered events that led the Maldives to accept international human rights norms and to revise its Constitution. It also led the Maldives to embrace pluralistic democracy leading to the fall of a thirty-year dictatorial regime in 2008. Data gathered through interviews with activists and dissidents, as well as policy and law makers were analysed using grounded theory methodology.Increasing domestic opposition as well as international pressure from transnational advocacy networks and international aid donors steered the Maldives from a path of relative isolation in the 20th century, into the globalised world of the 21st century. Through the use of modern means of communication, the opposition took to direct action on the streets to bring about a regime change. The findings from the data highlight some of the challenges facing the Maldives in its transitioning from authoritarian to democratic rule. Voice has been given to dissent through this research. Key challenges still remain for the country to move forward in its path to democracy and human rights. 2013 Thesis http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/604 en Curtin University fulltext
spellingShingle human rights
Maldives
voices of dissent
dictatorial regime
democracy
pluralistic democracy
Didi, Aminath
The Maldives in transition : human rights and voices of dissent
title The Maldives in transition : human rights and voices of dissent
title_full The Maldives in transition : human rights and voices of dissent
title_fullStr The Maldives in transition : human rights and voices of dissent
title_full_unstemmed The Maldives in transition : human rights and voices of dissent
title_short The Maldives in transition : human rights and voices of dissent
title_sort maldives in transition : human rights and voices of dissent
topic human rights
Maldives
voices of dissent
dictatorial regime
democracy
pluralistic democracy
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/604