MALE, Maldives, March 6 (UPI) -- A court in the Maldives agreed Wednesday to postpone former President Mohamed Nasheed's trial for four weeks.
Nasheed was released from detention 24 hours after he was arrested, Press Trust of India reported. He faces charges of illegally detaining the country's chief justice while he was president.
A longtime political activist and founder of the Maldivian Democratic Party, Nasheed served as president from 2008 to 2012. He resigned in February last year after several weeks of riots and demonstrations fueled by the arrest of the chief justice.
Nasheed's lawyer asked the court Wednesday to postpone his trial until after the presidential election in September. But the judge refused, saying he had not declared he is a candidate.
Last month, Nasheed sought sanctuary with the Indian High Commission in the Maldives, remaining there for 11 days.
The Maldives are an island chain in the Indian Ocean.
