Maldivian Democracy Network

MDN was originally formed as the Maldivian Detainee Network in 2004 following mass arrests and allegations of abuse in prisons in August of that year. Although not officially registered in the Maldives until June 2006, MDN is one of the first human rights NGOs established in the country. Working out of Colombo and Male’, MDN created a network of families and friends of people in detention in response to popular concerns over police impunity and lack of judicial independence in the Maldives.

MDN played an important role in campaigning for human rights and democracy in those turbulent times and is recognised both nationally and internationally as one of the main organisational influences that contributed to the democratic reform process in the country.

In order to better reflect the much wider range of human rights and democracy related work being carried out by the organization, MDN changed its name to the Maldivian Democracy Network in 2010. However, MDN remains true to its roots