UN demands probe into killing of Maldives blogger

The UN on Tuesday demanded an immediate investigation into the murder of a liberal blogger in the Maldives, calling on the government to ensure the safety of dissidents in the troubled honeymoon destination.

The High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein condemned Sunday's stabbing of Yameen Rasheed and urged a swift and thorough inquiry into the killing, meeting international standards. "Rasheed's killing comes in the context of what appears to be an upsurge in arrests and prosecutions of the political opposition," Zeid's spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani said in a statement.

She noted that Rasheed, 29, had received death threats in December and lodged complaints with the police, yet had to push to get his concerns registered. Rasheed, who poked fun at the nation's politicians on his blog The Daily Panic, was found in the stairwell of his Male apartment with multiple stab wounds to his chest and neck. He died in hospital.

"We remind the state that it has a duty to ensure that journalists, civil society actors and human rights defenders are able to exercise their rights to express without fear," Shamdasani added.