A book authored by the first president of the Human Rights Commission of Maldives (HRCM), Ahmed Saleem, has been presented to the President at a meeting held at the President’s Office on Sunday morning.

Titled “HRCM ge Han’dhaanthah”, the book documents the establishment of the Human Rights Commission, Saleem’s experiences during his five-year tenure as its first President, and key events that unfolded during the Maldives’ historic transition to democracy.

Saleem was among the inaugural members appointed to the country’s first Human Rights Commission in 2003, which was established by presidential decree. He later went on to serve as the first President of the Human Rights Commission constituted under the 2008 Constitution, which remains in force today.

The book offers a first-hand account of the early institutional development of the Commission and provides insight into the challenges and milestones of promoting human rights during a transformative period in the country’s political history.

Ahmed Saleem, a recipient of the Most Distinguished Foreign Service Medal, is widely recognised for his exceptional contributions to the Maldives’ foreign service and public administration, with a career spanning more than five decades.