The Island President

[ TV news channels changing ]

IN COPENHAGEN, DENMARK--

120 WORLD LEADERS COOPED UP INSIDE ONE BUILDING.

NEGOTIATIONS CONTINUE WITH MAXIMUM CHAOS.

MOHAMED NASHEED, THE PRESIDENT OF THE MALDIVES--

DO YOU SEE ANY SIGNS OF PROGRESS?

THAT BIG MEETING GOING ON IN COPENHAGEN.

IF THERE'S GOING TO BE A DEAL ON HOW TO SAVE THE PLANET,

IT'S GOT TO HAPPEN SOON.

WORLD LEADERS ARE HOLDING CLOSED-DOOR TALKS,

AND THEY'RE REALLY TRYING TO WORK OUT

SOME TYPE OF LAST-MINUTE AGREEMENT,

AND IT'S PROVING TO BE A LITTLE MORE DIFFICULT.

THERE'S FINGER-POINTING GOING AROUND,

TALK ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT THEY'RE GONNA LEAVE

WITH ANYTHING CONCRETE.

WE DEAL WITH A SYSTEMIC RISK,

WHICH IS WHAT CLIMATE CHANGE POSES TO THE WORLD ECONOMY.

HOW MUCH ATTENTION--

[ speaking in foreign language ]

THE NEGOTIATORS ARE STILL UNABLE TO COME UP WITH A TEXT.

SO LET'S KEEP OUR FINGERS CROSSED.

WE COULD STILL COME OUT WITH A DEAL. THANK YOU.

...HOW CLIMATE CHANGE IS AFFECTING YOUR COUNTRY?

WELL, MALDIVES IS JUST 1.5 METERS ABOVE SEA LEVEL,

AND, BECAUSE OF CLIMATE CHANGE AND SEA LEVEL RISE,

A NUMBER OF ISLANDS ARE ERODING.

AND IT'S NOT SOMETHING IN THE FUTURE.

IT IS SOMETHING THAT WE ARE FACING RIGHT NOW.

THANK YOU. I THINK I HAVE TO GO.

Nasheed: THE MALDIVES IS A STRETCH OF 2,000 TINY ISLANDS

IN THE MIDDLE OF THE INDIAN OCEAN.

IT'S A VERY LOW-LYING COUNTRY.

WE DO NOT HAVE EVEN ONE HILL.

I'VE TRAVELED THE COUNTRY UP AND DOWN

MANY, MANY TIMES.

EVEN IF YOU LIVE ALL YOUR LIFE HERE,

YOU CAN'T FAIL TO BE IMPRESSED.

HISTORICAL EVIDENCE SUGGESTS

THAT PEOPLE WERE LIVING HERE FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS

IN EQUILIBRIUM WITH THE SEA.

BUT THINGS ARE CHANGING.

THE WORLD IS GETTING HOTTER.

THE SEA LEVEL IS RISING.

THE ABILITY TO SUSTAIN HUMAN LIFE HERE

IS VERY FRAGILE.

IF WE CAN'T STOP THE SEAS RISING,

GLOBAL WARMING WILL DESTROY THE MALDIVES.

AS A PRESIDENT, IT IS VERY CLEAR TO ME

THAT THE MOST IMPORTANT FIGHT

IS THE FIGHT FOR OUR SURVIVAL.

Nasheed: IN MANY EYES, THE MALDIVES IS A PLACE

TO GO ON HOLIDAY...

WHERE THE VERY RICH AND FAMOUS COME AND RELAX.

THIS IS THE HEIGHT OF THE GOOD LIFE.

IT'S, YOU KNOW, A CROSS BETWEEN PARADISE AND PARADISE.

THE BEAUTIFUL OCEAN...

THE GOLDEN BEACHES...

EXTREMELY HIGH-CLASS HOTELS AND RESORTS.

BUT MOST PEOPLE DON'T KNOW THE HISTORY OF THE MALDIVES

FOR THE LAST 30 YEARS.

IRONICALLY, IT IS EXACTLY ON THESE SAME BEACHES

THAT MOST OF THE TORTURE TOOK PLACE.

Ahmed Naseem: I'VE SEEN PEOPLE HANGING UPSIDE-DOWN

WITH COCONUT HONEY THROWN ON THEM

TO LET THE ANTS COME AND EAT THEM.

I'VE SEEN PEOPLE BURIED IN THE GROUND

AND KEPT FOR DAYS AND DAYS IN RAIN AND SUN.

I HAVE SEEN IT WITH MY OWN EYES

BECAUSE I WAS THERE FOR FIVE YEARS.

THIS IS THE TRUTH OF GAYOOM'S REGIME.

Nasheed: GAYOOM RULED FOR 30 YEARS.

THERE WAS NO OPPOSITION, THERE WERE NO POLITICAL PARTIES,

THERE WAS NO FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION,

THERE WAS NO FREEDOM OF ASSEMBLY.

Mohamed Aslam: THE ISLAND CHIEFS--

THEY WOULD INSIST THAT THERE ISN'T A SINGLE BALLOT

WHICH SAID NO TO GAYOOM.

THE MAN GOT OVER 90%-- 99% IN MOST CASES.

THAT'S INCREDIBLE.

I MEAN, EVEN GOD HIMSELF DOESN'T GET 99% APPROVAL.

Naseem: HE WAS LIKE-- HE WAS A MAFIA DON.

THE FIRST THREE MONTHS, OF HIS PRESIDENCY,

HE ARRESTED MORE THAN 480 POLITICAL PRISONERS.

IT WAS JUST CRAZY.

Aminath Shauna: WHEN WE WERE GROWING UP,

THE WORD FOR "PRESIDENT" WAS AUTOMATICALLY MAUMOON

AND NO ONE ELSE-- NO QUESTION ABOUT IT.

WE WEREN'T TAUGHT ABOUT THE PAST PRESIDENTS.

IT WAS JUST MAUMOON WHO BROUGHT THE EDUCATION,

IT WAS MAUMOON WHO BROUGHT TOURISM INTO THE COUNTRY.

AND THAT'S IT.

Nasheed: I WENT TO SCHOOL IN ENGLAND.

IN '89, AFTER GRADUATION,

I CAME BACK TO THE MALDIVES.

BY THIS TIME,

THE STATE HAD BECOME MORE AND MORE REPRESSIVE.

SO WE DECIDED THAT IT WOULD BE GOOD

TO COME UP WITH A MAGAZINE.

Nasheed: IT WAS TALKING ABOUT TWO THINGS--

CORRUPTION AND HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSE.

IT WAS VERY CRITICAL OF THE REGIME.

ONE NIGHT, AT ABOUT 3:00 IN THE MORNING,

THEY CAME TO MY HOUSE.

THEY RAIDED MY HOME

AND TOOK A WHOLE LOAD OF PAPERS.

Laila Ali: THEY CAME IN, THEY TOOK HIM AWAY.

IT WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT.

WE HAD HEARD SO MANY STORIES

OF WHAT THEY WERE DOING IN THE JAILS AND ALL THAT,

SO IT WAS TERRIFYING, REALLY.

Nasheed: I REFUSED TO GIVE A CONFESSION.

SO, BECAUSE OF THIS,

I WAS TAKEN A CORRUGATED IRON SHEET CELL.

THE WHOLE CELL IS FIVE FEET BY THREE FEET.

YOU HAD A MAT.

THAT'S ALL.

YOU CAN STILL HAVE A SCHEDULE FOR THE DAY,

EVEN IF YOU CAN'T MOVE.

YOU COULD GO FOR A WALK--

IN YOUR MIND, YOU COULD BE WALKING.

IF YOU CAN WALK, IF YOU'RE NOT CHAINED,

YOU TAKE FOUR, FIVE STEPS IN THE CELL,

BUT YOU COULD DO IT MILLIONS OF TIMES.

YOU TAKE EVERY SECOND AS IT COMES.

I MEAN, 18 MONTHS WAS A FAIRLY LONG TIME IN SOLITARY.

WHEN I WAS RELEASED,

I WAS VERY POLITICALLY MOTIVATED.

SO HOW I DEDICATED MY TIME IN TRYING TO INTRODUCE DEMOCRACY,

TO BRING PEOPLE THE POWER--

I WANTED TO FORM A POLITICAL PARTY.

Ali: WITH A CHILD, I DIDN'T LIKE THAT AT ALL.

BUT I DIDN'T HAVE MUCH CHOICE.

I COULD HAVE LEFT HIM, I GUESS, BUT...

HE WOULD STILL HAVE DONE IT.

Nasheed: IN THE LAST 20 YEARS,

I'VE BEEN ARRESTED 12 TIMES.

UM...I'VE BEEN TORTURED TWICE.

MY SECOND CHILD WAS BORN WHILE I WAS IN CONFINEMENT.

I WAS BROUGHT EARLY IN THE MORNING TO THE HOSPITAL,

AND LAILA HAD GIVEN BIRTH THE NIGHT BEFORE.

I WAS SHOWN ZAAYA JUST ONCE.

I PICKED HER UP,

AND, UM--

AND THEN I WAS TAKEN BACK AGAIN.

IN SEPTEMBER, 2003,

A YOUNG BOY WAS TORTURED

AND BEATEN TO DEATH IN JAIL.

Ali: THERE HAD BEEN RUMORS OF PEOPLE BEING MURDERED IN JAIL FOR YEARS.

NORMALLY THEY HUSH EVERYTHING UP.

BUT THIS WAS UNUSUAL. THE MOTHER HAD BEEN BRAVE ENOUGH

TO INSIST THAT THE SON NOT BE BURIED

WITHOUT EVERYONE SEEING HIM.

SO THE BODY HAD BEEN LEFT IN THE CEMETERY FOR PUBLIC VIEWING.

Ahmed Moosa: FROM HIS HEAD TO HIS TOES,

THERE WASN'T ANY BIT THAT WASN'T DAMAGED

OR BRUISED OR--

I MEAN, YOU COULD KILL SOMEBODY,

BUT HERE YOU COULD SEE

THAT HE WAS REALLY TORTURED TO DEATH.

I'VE SEEN IT MANY TIMES-- THE BEATINGS.

I'VE HEARD THE BEATINGS MANY TIMES.

I KNOW HOW YOU FEEL

WHEN YOU HAVE--

WHEN DEATH IS JUST RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER.

WHEN PEOPLE SAW WHAT HAD HAPPENED TO THE BODY,

THAT REALLY TRIGGERED THE DEMOCRACY MOVEMENT.

THAT WAS THE TURNING POINT. THAT WAS THE TURNING POINT.

Nasheed: THERE WAS RIOTING IN THE MALDIVES.

Paul Roberts: I RECEIVED A CALL

FROM A FRIEND OF MINE IN THE MALDIVES.

THIS PERSON WAS SORT OF CLEARLY RUNNING DOWN THE STREET.

YOU COULD HEAR THE THUD-THUD-THUD OF THE FOOTSTEPS

OVER THE PHONE.

HE'S, LIKE, "I'VE JUST PUNCHED

A NATIONAL SECURITY SERVICE OFFICER."

PEOPLE RAMAGED THROUGH TOWN,

SMASHING ANYTHING THAT SYMBOLIZES STATE.

SO POLICE CARS WERE TORCHED.

THAT'S WHEN THE GOVERNMENT HAD TO ANNOUNCE A STATE OF EMERGENCY

AND CONTROL THAT UNREST.

Ali: WE WERE SCARED. TANKS HAD BEEN BROUGHT OUT.

WE WERE ALL WONDERING WHAT MORE COULD HAPPEN.

I WAS VEYR AFRAID FOR MY LIFE.

AFTER HAVING UNDERSTOOD

WHAT THEY'D DONE TO THAT BOY,

I KNEW THAT THEY MUST DO THE SAME TO ME.

THEY MUST, IF THEY WERE TO SURVIVE AND IF THEY WERE TO GO ON.

SO THIS TIME, AS SOON AS I WAS RELEASED, I LEFT.

I WENT INTO EXILE.

Newscaster: PRESIDENT GAYOOM HAS RULED ALMOST UNCHALLENGED

SINCE 1978.

PEOPLE THAT I'VE SPOKEN TO IN THE MALDIVES

ARE FRIGHTENED TO TALK TO ME OPENLY.

IT'S NOT TRUE.BUT THEY ARE.

I ASSURE YOU THAT'S NOT TRUE.

YOU'RE TELLING ME I'M LYING?

I'M NOT SAYING YOU ARE LYING,

BUT YOU ARE NOT WELL-INFORMED.

WE'D BEEN WORKING ABROAD