Eva Abdulla

Paradise is in danger. With growing political repression, blatant violations of human rights, and shrinking of the liberal and democratic space, the Maldives is in the news more for the wrong reasons than for the idyllic tourism with which it has traditionally been associated. The archipelago has become a hotspot for recruitment for the Islamic terrorist group ISIS; according to one estimate more than 200 people have already joined the dreaded jihadi group. Adding to the growing radicalization is the political uncertainty created by the arrest of the main opposition leader and former president, Mohamed Nasheed, leader of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP).

Eva Abdulla is a young parliamentarian from the MDP and one of the few bold voices of dissent in the Maldives today. The Diplomat’s Sanjay Kumar spoke to her a day after international lawyers visited the Maldives  to explore options for Nasheed’s release.