Amal Clooney to defend ex-Maldives President

Frustrated with lack of justice in his own country, jailed opposition leader and former Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed has approached renowned international human rights lawyers including Amal Clooney, wife of Hollywood star George Clooney, to defend him, reports The Times of India.

Clooney, who has advised the United Nations in the past, has agreed to take up Nasheed's case and will assisted by Jared Genser, the founder of noted campaign group for political prisoners Freedom Now, and Ben Emmerson, former UN rights chief on counter-terrorism and human rights.

Genser has earlier represented Nobel laureates Aung San Suu Kyi and Liu Xiaobo while Clooney has counselled political prisoners including the former Prime Minister of Ukraine, Yulia Tymoshenko and Al Jazeera journalist Mohamed Fahmy.

Emmerson is currently the British judge on international tribunals on Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia.

Clooney's clients also include Julian Assange, founder of Wiki-Leaks, in his fight against extradition.

"I am very pleased to have such an extraordinary team agree to take up my legal defence internationally," Nasheed said in a statement.

The former president was sentenced to 13 years in jail last month on terrorism charges in a trial slammed by India and other observers, including the UN and Amnesty International.

Actor George Clooney (L) and Amal Clooney arrive on the red carpet for the 72nd annual Golden Globe Awards, January 11, 2015 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California. Photo: AFP