Maldives police detain opposition leader

Police in the Maldives detained opposition leader Mohamed Nasheed on Tuesday, defying pressure from regional power India which had called for him to be free to campaign for elections. A spokeswoman for Nasheed's Maldivian Democratic Party, Shauna Aminath, said that about 20 masked policemen wearing riot gear arrested him at his family home in the capital Male. She said that no arrest warrant was presented to the former pro-democracy activist, who served as the first freely elected president until last year, and that one of his security personnel was injured in a fracas. Maldivian authorities said that the 45-year-old had been taken into custody on a court order and was to be presented in a magistrates' court on Wednesday where he faces criminal charges. "He is not under arrest, but he has been taken into custody on a court order issued after he repeatedly evaded summons to appear in court," presidential spokesman Masood Imad told AFP by telephone. A court officer who declined to be named said the case against Nasheed -- who has been charged with abusing his powers by ordering the arrest of a judge while president -- would be taken up on Wednesday at 04:00 pm (1030 GMT). The move threatens to bring more instability to the archipelago, a famous upmarket honeymoon destination which sits astride strategic shipping lanes in the Indian Ocean. It has been wracked by violence and political infighting since February 2012 when Nasheed was ousted following a mutiny by security forces and demonstrations which he believes were fomented by former autocrat Maumoon Abdul Gayoom. The current government and Gayoom deny the accusations. Seeking to avoid arrest, Nasheed took refuge in the Indian high commission (embassy) last month for 10 days and walked out only after an informal agreement was brokered by New Delhi under which he would be free to campaign. Presidential elections are due on September 7. A conviction would bar him from holding office and his party considers the charges against him to be politically motivated. "The last time there was a summons asking him to turn up in court, he went to the Indian high commission and subverted our legal system," Imad said. The Maldivian government denied any deal had been reached to end Nasheed's refuge in the embassy, but diplomatic sources say India sought assurances to bring an end to the stand-off. There was no immediate comment from Indian authorities. Nasheed came to power in 2008 after campaigning for decades for democracy in the Maldives, during which time he was repeatedly arrested and tortured while in police custody. In January 2012, Nasheed ordered the arrest of the chief judge of the criminal court, Abdulla Mohamed, on charges of misconduct and favouring opposition figures. The arrest sparked street protests that eventually led to Nasheed's downfall.