the Supreme Court upheld the death sentence of a 22-year-old man convicted of killing a parliamentarian.

the Supreme Court upheld the death sentence of a 22-year-old man convicted of killing a parliamentarian. The verdict is the Supreme Court’s first ruling in a murder case and could pave the way for the Maldives’ first execution in more than half a century. Hussain Humam Ahmed’s fate now rests with members of MP Afrasheem Ali’s family, who are empowered by law to issue a pardon. The unanimous ruling rejected Humam’s claim of mental illness, and upheld the guilty verdict, noting the young man had confessed to the murder at the lower court. Afrasheem, an MP for the ruling Progressive Party of the Maldives, and also a moderate religious scholar, was stabbed to death outside his home on the night of 1 October 2012. Police said the killing was politically motivated. He was known for taking relatively liberal positions on some religious issues, which had prompted criticism from other clerics. Humam was arrested within hours after Afrasheem’s body was found and charged with murder in January 2013. After pleading not guilty, Humam confessed to the killing at a hearing in May 2013 and gave a detailed account of the murder. However, a month later, Humam retracted the confession, claiming police obtained it through coercion.