BANGKOK, Thailand (10 October 2025): The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) and the undersigned organizations condemn the excessive use of force by the Maldives Police Service (MPS) against peaceful protestors in Malé on 3 October 2025, including the deployment of Long Range Acoustic Devices (LRADs). The actions of the MPS constitute a grave violation of the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and expression guaranteed under the Constitution of the Republic of Maldives, as well as its obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which the Maldives is a State Party.
Ahead of the protest in Malé, both the MPS and the Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF) staged an intimidating show of force—deploying armed vehicles, conducting vessel searches, and taking other unnecessary actions to deter participation. Police obstructed the demonstration from the outset, first by dictating its route, then by blocking the march entirely with barricades and an overwhelming presence of riot police. Once the protest began, police officers resorted to disproportionate measures, including the indiscriminate use of pepper spray against protestors and journalists.1
One protestor reportedly suffered a cardiac emergency following close-range exposure to pepper spray and remains under medical care. In its 4 October 2025 statement, the Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital noted that while there is “no scientific evidence” directly linking pepper spray to heart attacks, exposure can trigger stress, anxiety, or physical exertion that may aggravate underlying medical conditions.2 This clarification should not be misinterpreted as suggesting that pepper spray is safe; rather, it underscores that chemical irritants such as pepper spray carry unpredictable and potentially severe physiological risks—especially when deployed at close range or in confined environments.
We strongly condemn the use of LRADs against protestors to drown out speakers, disperse the protest, and suppress public dissent. Originally developed for military operations, LRADs can cause serious harm.3 In a densely populated city like Malé, the use of such long-range sonic weapons in civilian areas represents a reckless disregard for public health and safety. When deployed at close range, LRADs not only risk harming protestors but also expose children, elderly persons, and families residing nearby to serious auditory and neurological damage.
A recent European Court of Human Rights judgment warned against the use of sound devices for crowd control, citing “potentially serious health effects that could be caused to a large number of persons”.4 The situation in Malé reflects similar risks and underscores the urgent need for the Maldives Police Service to adopt rights-based, evidence-driven crowd control practices that prioritize the safety and dignity of all individuals.
The deployment of LRADs marks a deeply concerning trend towards the militarization of policing in the Maldives. As highlighted by then-UN Special Rapporteur on rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, Clément Voule, the militarization of protest policing “results in the escalation of violence and tensions, human rights abuses, and increased impunity.”5 The MPS’s long record of violence and aggression towards protestors has already eroded public trust. As a public service body, the MPS is mandated to ensure safety and uphold the rule of law—not to employ military-grade weaponry against civilians. Equally concerning are allegations that the MPS failed to follow due diligence in the procurement and deployment of LRADs, with no publicly disclosed standard operating procedures for their use.6 The absence of transparency or established oversight mechanisms around such weapons procurement exacerbates the risk of impunity.
We further condemn the arrest and detention of at least eight protestors during the demonstration, which is incompatible with the Maldives’ national and international human rights obligations.
We call on the Government of the Maldives to:
- Immediately cease the use of LRADs and all military-grade or harmful devices in protest policing or crowd control;
- Conduct an independent and thorough investigation into the procurement, authorization, and operational use of LRADs by the MPS;
- Take lawful action against individual police personnel responsible for the use of excessive force and unlawful dispersal of protestors; and
- Ensure the immediate and unconditional release of all individuals detained for peacefully exercising their rights to freedom of assembly and expression; and
- Amend the Peaceful Assembly Act (2013) to fully guarantee the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and ensure its compatibility with Article 21 of the ICCPR and General Comment N 37 on the right to peaceful assembly adopted by the UN Human Rights Committee (2020).
We welcome news reports that the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives has announced that it is investigating the 3 October police crackdown against protestors.7 We urge the Commission to conduct a thorough, independent, and transparent investigation free from political interference, and to publish its findings as soon as possible.
We remind the government of the Maldives that the policing of public gatherings must be guided by principles of necessity, proportionality, and legality, as set out in the UN Human Rights.
Guidance on Less-Lethal Weapons and related standards.8 The government must reaffirm its commitment to the rule of law, uphold constitutionally guaranteed civic freedoms, and end the regressive adoption of militarized practices that endanger human rights, public health, public trust, and undermine democratic governance.
Endorsed by:
- Association for Democracy in the Maldives (ADM)
- Armanshahr Foundation / OPEN ASIA
- Cambodian Human Rights and Development Association (ADHOC)
- Cambodian Human Rights and Development Center (CSHRDC)
- Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights (LICADHO)
- Center for Human Rights and Development (CHRD), Mongolia
- Center for the Sustainable Use of Natural and Social Resources (CSNR), India
- CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation
- Community Self-Reliance Center (CSRC), Nepal
- Defense of Human Rights Pakistan
- Human Rights Alert (HRA), India
- Human Rights Measurement Initiative (HRMI)
- Human Rights Watch (HRW)
- Indonesia Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI)
- International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH)
- Karapatan Alliance Philippines
- Madaripur Legal Aid Association (MLAA), Bangladesh
- Maldivian Democracy Network (MDN)
- Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates (PAHRA)
- Public Association “Dignity,” Kazakhstan
- Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit (RMMRU), Bangladesh
- #SaveMaldives Campaign
- South Asians for Human Rights (SAHR)
- Uthema, Maldives
- Vuka Coalition for Civic Action
- Bytes For All, Pakistan
- Maldives Journalists Association, X Post, 03 Oct 2025 at 10.21pm <https://x.com/mjamaldives/status/1974162981740253287>
- Indhira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH), Male’, Press Statement, 04 October 2025, https://x.com/igmhmv/status/1974490742564516133?s=46&t=CP465qYe0IbkWHfORX04dw
- D Anthony Lindsay. The rise of LRAD: a new challenge for public protest dynamics. 15 June 2025. https://www.muslimworldreport.com/news/opinion/2025-06-15-the-rise-of-lrad-a-new-challenge-for-public-protest- dynamics/
- European Court of Human Rights, ‘Interim measure issued in sonic-weapon case’, Press Release, ECHR 110 (2025), 30 April 2025
- United Nations. Militarised approach to policing peaceful protests increasing risk of violence: UN expe 20 June 2022. https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2022/06/militarised-approach-policing-peaceful-protests-increasing- risk-violence-unMPS ’
- Ifraz Ali, Mihaaru.com, ‘Concern about MPS use of sonic weapon to disperse last night’s demonstration’ [unofficial translation], 04 October 2025 <https://mihaaru.com/news/150031>
- Sun Online, ‘HRCM probes MDP rally crackdown amid widespread concern over use of LRADs’, 05 October 2025 <https://en.sun.mv/99637>
- ‘Guidance on Less-Lethal Weapons in Law Enforcement’, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), United Nations 2020,https://www.ohchorg/sites/default/files/Documents/HRBodies/CCPR/LLW_Guidance.pdf