prohibited alcohol and pork products elsewhere in the largely Muslim nation. Protests became a frequent occurrence in the streets of the capital city of Malé after the president's coalition slowly dissolved. President Nasheed's own Finance Minister Ahmed Inaz was assaulted by President Nasheed's party activist after meeting an opposition leader Yameen Abdul Gayoom. An opposition alliance (Madhanee Ithihaad) was formed in December 2011, including all the parties that supported the president in his 2008 presidential race. Those parties included the Gaumee Party, Jumhoory Party, and Adhaalath Party. On 23 December, the capital city saw major opposition protests against Nasheed and his government. Former cabinet minister Mohamed Jameel Ahmed was repeatedly summoned to the police station in connection with the protests, at one point being detained at Dhoonidhoo, a Maldivian prison island. Chief Justice Abdulla Mohamed ordered his release, but according to the police his non-compliance with their on-going investigations against him led in turn to his being arrested by members of the Maldives National Defence Force. Due to the arrest of the judge, the opposition parties' protests gained momentum and demanded Judge Abdulla Mohamed's immediate release. During the detention of the judge, the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM) was able to visit him in his place of detention, a military training base, and confirm his safety. Opposition leaders also called for an independent investigation into the constitutionality of the arrest, a call echoed by the HRCM, the Judicial Services Commission, the Prosecutor General's Office, the International Commission of Jurists, Amnesty International, and the United Nations Human Rights Commissioner. Military and police rejected the orders by the High Court to release Abdulla Mohamed. The opposition's protest in the Republic Square lasted for 22 consecutive days. On 6 February 2012, the Maldives Police Service declined to use force to control or disperse the protests and joined the protest. In the early hours of 7 February 2012, President Nasheed was seen inside the military headquarters. The Maldives National Defence Force subsequently had a standoff with police who had joined the protesters, in which the MNDF fired rubber bullets into the crowd. (The President's office, however, denied these reports.) Military forces increasingly joined the opposition, and Nasheed resigned that day. His statement read: "I believe if I continue as the President of the Maldives, the people of the country would suffer more. I therefore have resigned as the President of Maldives. I