The Maldives’ top court has cancelled the 13-year prison sentence of former President Mohamed Nasheed following a review of his controversial conviction on terrorism charges.
Nasheed, who recently returned home after years in self-exile, was elected president in 2008, becoming the island nation’s first democratically chosen leader.
But he was toppled in what he called a coup in 2012, and found guilty of “terrorism” three years later over the arrest of a top judge during his tenure.
The Supreme Court ruled on Monday that 51-year-old was wrongfully charged and the criminal court should not have proceeded to trial.
Nasheed welcomed the news in a post on Twitter, expressing his “deepest gratitude to the people of the Maldives”.