IFJ Calls on Fiji to End Emergency Regulations

IFJ Calls on Fiji to End Emergency Regulations

May 27, 2011 - The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins Pacific Freedom Forum (PFF) in its renewed call for Fiji ’s military regime to end the Public Emergency Regulations which regulate censorship in the country.

The regime of Frank Bainimarama had said the regulations, initially imposed in April 2009 for 30 days, would be lifted after a regime-devised media decree was introduced in June 2010.

However, both the regulations and the decree remain in force and continue to restrict journalists in Fiji from reporting freely.

Earlier this month, Fiji-based journalists were compelled to wait more than 24 hours, until an official regime press conference, to report the defection to Tonga of Lieutenant-Colonel Ratu Tevita Mara. Mara’s defection followed charges against him of making seditious comments.

PFF reports that editors in Fiji have been ordered not to report statements from Mara as a “matter of national security”. Some people have been warned that commentary on online social networks is being monitored.

“ Fiji ’s administration must recognise the futility of continuing to seek to censor reporting on issues of great public interest to people in Fiji ,” IFJ Asia -Pacific Director Jacqueline Park said.

“The IFJ joins PFF and other regional and international press freedom groups in urging Fiji ’s power-holders to recognise ‘that the path to sustainable democracy must involve free and fearless reporting of the facts from all sides of a story’.”

Bainimarama imposed the emergency regulations after President Ratu Josefa Iloilo abrogated Fiji ’s Constitution and reappointed Bainimarama as prime minister on April 11, 2009. The move followed an appeals court ruling that a 2006 coup led by Bainimarama was illegal.

In June 2010, the regime gazetted the Media Industry Development Decree 2010, and said the decree would replace the regulations. The IFJ condemned the decree at the time as an effort to permanently install the censorship in force since April 2009.

The IFJ represents more than 600,000 journalists in 131 countries

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ENDS

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