Friday March 10, 2017
MEDIA RELEASE
Privileged caste assertion insulting: NFP
Fiji’s Ambassador to Geneva’s reference to the indigenous Fijian or i-Taukei community institutionalizing discrimination and becoming a privileged caste before the promulgation of the 2013 Constitution is demeaning to our indigenous community.
We question whether it is the official policy of Voreqe Bainimarama’s Fiji First Government to castigate ethnic groups of our multicultural community to justify their case to be elected a member of the UN Human Rights Council.
"It is simply astonishing and worrying that Ambassador Nazhat Shameem chose to use a global megaphone to make a demeaning statement while conveniently steering clear from the human rights stock-take that the UN Human Rights Council is due, and ignoring the appalling state of human rights in Fiji."
Ambassador Shameem has basically camouflaged the real issue of human rights abuses in Fiji through limitations in the 2013 Constitution’s Bill of Rights, as well as several complaints made against police for alleged brutality, even resulting in death of one while in police custody, and the lackadaisical attitude adopted by the law enforcement agencies to promptly investigate such cases with impartiality.
For example, there has ben no official word on the circumstances surrounding the death of Vikarant Chandra while in police custody.
In another incident case has been bought to our attention, a female victim who was allegedly stripped naked in public view by police in January, is still awaiting answers and crying for justice more than a month.
She suffered cruel and degrading treatment but the police response has been lackadaisical and has even gone to the extent of accusing the victim of manufacturing her sorry saga."
"Very recently in Nadi, Ashneel Kumar was viciously assaulted by police who entered his residence by force, and he has lodged complaints to the Director of Fiji Human Rights Commission as well the Attorney General on 6th March."
"The onus on these appalling issues of recurring serious human rights violations by organs of the State, that we know about, is on the Government. It must show its sincerity as a measure of its worthiness of recent ratification to the UN Convention on Torture, and prove that to the nation that it is ready to be considered by the world as an upstanding candidate for the UN Human Rights Council seat."
Ambassador Shameem’s conduct of playing the blame game, without providing statistical data on what happened, and whether equal citizenry and the Bill of Rights under the 2013 Constitution is eradicating racism, is hallmark of this Government.
Unless and until this happens, Fiji is not worthy of a seat on the UN Human Rights Council.
Authorised by: -
Professor Biman Prasad
NFP Leader
MEDIA RELEASE
Privileged caste assertion insulting: NFP
Fiji’s Ambassador to Geneva’s reference to the indigenous Fijian or i-Taukei community institutionalizing discrimination and becoming a privileged caste before the promulgation of the 2013 Constitution is demeaning to our indigenous community.
We question whether it is the official policy of Voreqe Bainimarama’s Fiji First Government to castigate ethnic groups of our multicultural community to justify their case to be elected a member of the UN Human Rights Council.
"It is simply astonishing and worrying that Ambassador Nazhat Shameem chose to use a global megaphone to make a demeaning statement while conveniently steering clear from the human rights stock-take that the UN Human Rights Council is due, and ignoring the appalling state of human rights in Fiji."
Ambassador Shameem has basically camouflaged the real issue of human rights abuses in Fiji through limitations in the 2013 Constitution’s Bill of Rights, as well as several complaints made against police for alleged brutality, even resulting in death of one while in police custody, and the lackadaisical attitude adopted by the law enforcement agencies to promptly investigate such cases with impartiality.
For example, there has ben no official word on the circumstances surrounding the death of Vikarant Chandra while in police custody.
In another incident case has been bought to our attention, a female victim who was allegedly stripped naked in public view by police in January, is still awaiting answers and crying for justice more than a month.
She suffered cruel and degrading treatment but the police response has been lackadaisical and has even gone to the extent of accusing the victim of manufacturing her sorry saga."
"Very recently in Nadi, Ashneel Kumar was viciously assaulted by police who entered his residence by force, and he has lodged complaints to the Director of Fiji Human Rights Commission as well the Attorney General on 6th March."
"The onus on these appalling issues of recurring serious human rights violations by organs of the State, that we know about, is on the Government. It must show its sincerity as a measure of its worthiness of recent ratification to the UN Convention on Torture, and prove that to the nation that it is ready to be considered by the world as an upstanding candidate for the UN Human Rights Council seat."
Ambassador Shameem’s conduct of playing the blame game, without providing statistical data on what happened, and whether equal citizenry and the Bill of Rights under the 2013 Constitution is eradicating racism, is hallmark of this Government.
Unless and until this happens, Fiji is not worthy of a seat on the UN Human Rights Council.
Authorised by: -
Professor Biman Prasad
NFP Leader
