AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL PRESS RELEASE , ISSUED UNDER STRICT EMBARGO 00:01 GMT Wednesday 10 February 2010--The Fiji Government has misrepresented its human rights record in a report to the United Nations, Amnesty International said today.
The government has submitted a report to the UN Human Rights Council ahead of a formal review of the state of the country’s human rights scheduled for Thursday 11 February in Geneva.
Amnesty International disputes many of the claims made in the Fiji Government’s National Report, including assertions that religious freedom is enjoyed in Fiji; that the right to free speech is respected; and that the censorship of the media is a necessary security measure.
“Government assertions that human rights are protected in Fiji are an insult to its citizens, who have had to endure surveillance, intimidation and threats by the military,” said Apolosi Bose, Amnesty International’s Pacific Researcher.
Pacific Freedom Forum is a regional media body, monitoring threats to press freedom and journalism ethics across Oceania.
