Jennifer Latheef - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Jennifer Latheef is a daughter of Mohamed Latheef

Mohamed Latheef

Mohamed Latheef is a Maldives politician, a former parliamentarian and a campaigner for human rights. He is a co-founder of the MDP , a political party...

, a leading Maldivian

Maldives

The Maldives , , officially Republic of Maldives , also referred to as the Maldive Islands, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean formed by a double chain of twenty-six atolls oriented north-south off India's Lakshadweep islands, between Minicoy Island and...

politician and government critic. She also worked as a Maldivian

Maldives

journalist

Journalist

A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...

and photographer for a short period of time.

According to an Amnesty International

Amnesty International

Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...

report released in 2003, Jennifer Latheef

is an artist and video film producer particularly focusing on the prevalence of sexual abuse in the country. She is known for holding views critical of the government and against censorship, and this is believed to be the main reason for her continued detention. She is currently detained under house arrest in Malé. In addition, it is believed that Jennifer Latheef’s continued detention may be a measure by the government to limit the activities of her father, Mohamed Latheef, a Maldivian politician currently living in exile in Sri Lanka where he is engaged in a campaign of peaceful political opposition to the Government of Maldives.

Jennifer Latheef was sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment on October 18, 2005, convicted of "terrorism

Terrorism

Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...

" for joining a protest

2003 Maldives civil unrest

On Saturday September 20, 2003 civil unrest broke out in Malé, the capital city of the Maldives. This unrest was provoked by the death of Hassan Evan Naseem at Maafushi Prison - located on a separate inhabited island - and the subsequent shooting at the same prison, that killed 3 and injured 17...

in September 2003 against deaths in prison and political repression. Amnesty International adopted her as a Prisoner of Conscience during her time in prison and campaigned for her release.

She was detained in Maafushi Prison on the Kaafu Atoll

Kaafu Atoll

Kaafu Atoll is an administrative division of the Maldives. It consists of Kaashidhoo Island, Gahaafaru Atoll, and Malé Atoll...

, 18 miles south of the capital, Malé

Malé

Malé , is the capital and most populous city in the Republic of Maldives. It is located at the southern edge of North Malé Atoll . It is also one of the Administrative divisions of the Maldives. Traditionally it was the King's Island, from where the ancient Maldive Royal dynasties ruled and where...

. She was reportedly not being given regular access to the medication which she needs to take daily to regulate her blood sugar

Glycemia

Glycemia means the presence, or the level, of glucose in one's blood. Related words include:* Hyperglycemia, an unusually high concentration of sugar in the blood* Hypoglycemia, an unusually low concentration of sugar in the blood...

.

She was released on August 16, 2006. She was informed of her release from house arrest through a presidential pardon. Initially, she refused to accept the government offer of release on two grounds: firstly, that her release should have been unconditional and not through a pardon, since this would imply that she had committed a recognizably criminal offence – which she had not; and secondly, she insisted that the other four political prisoners convicted at the same trial should also be released. After consulting with friends and other human rights defenders, Jennifer Latheef agreed to accept the offer of release from house arrest.

See also