PR Adviser Praises Maldives Prisons

Nic Careem, a London-based "public affairs consultant", recently proclaimed his interest in helping raise the profile of the President of the Maldives, Abdul Gayoom, on the issue of global warming. While Gayoom's government has been widely criticized for human rights abuses, earlier this year Careem gushed that he was "impressed with the humanity shown to prisoners." In response to recent criticism of his defense of the regime, Careem wrote that the "penal system" is "as good as anything in the western world" and explained that murders occurred in his own London suburb. In a pointed letter to the editor, a reader objected to the comparison: "Does Mr Careem know that we too have murder cases in the Maldives? The police torture and kill detainees to perpetuate the regime in this country." Last year, Tim Fallon from Hill & Knowlton's London office, was deluged with critical comments after defending his company's work for the Gayoom regime on his blog.

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Careem was also the brains behind the UK tribute to Nelson Mandela, which included a House of Common Book of Tribute messages, a poem by the poet laureate, a song by the diva Joan Armatrading and a concert in Trafalgars Square. He is currently working on promoting and producing a major anti-hate play about his close freind Eva Schloss - step-sister of wartime diarist Anne Frank. Careem also recently launched with his close freind the TV star June Sarpong and US Star John Legend their plan to help address extreme poverty in the African states of Ghana and Mozambique. Careem is also Campaigns manager for London Mayoral candidate - founder of the Big Issue John Bird