Maldives court throws out case against Mohamed Nasheed

A court in the Maldives has thrown out a "terrorism" conviction against the island nation's former President Mohamed Nasheed, and ordered the release of several other jailed politicians.

The Supreme Court ruling on Thursday came after an opposition alliance petitioned the court to temporarily remove President Abdulla Yameen for misrule, rights abuses and "unprecedented corruption".

The court did not rule on that request, but reinstated 12 parliament members who were stripped of their seats when they defected to the opposition last year.

That gives the opposition a clear majority in the parliament, which has the power to impeach the president.

The main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) welcomed the ruling, describing it as a "death knell for President Yameen's corrupt and criminal dictatorship".

The Maldives has been mired in political unrest since Nasheed, the country's first democratically elected leader, was jailed in 2015 on "terrorism" charges.

The trial, which a UN rights panel declared unfair, prompted widespread protests and resulted in the arrest of hundreds of dissidents.

Since then, almost all key opposition leaders have either been jailed or gone into exile, including Nasheed.

In 2016, Nasheed sought political asylum in the UK after travelling there on medical leave from prison.

Others freed by the Supreme Court on Thursday include a former vice president, a former defence minister, the leaders of two, minor opposition parties, a ruling party legislator, a judge and a former chief prosecutor.

The Supreme Court said the nine were to be "immediately freed" until the cases against them can be judged according to Maldivian law.

The Maldives police force said it would obey the Supreme Court's ruling.

"The police chief and his deputy have sought legal advice on tonight's Supreme Court ruling and have decided to obey it. The police are working on enforcing the ruling," the police said in a tweet.