18 Jul 2007

Fiji's interim government lifts travel ban for coordinator of Fiji's Women's Crisis Centre

7:21 am on 18 July 2007

The coordinator of Fiji's Women's Crisis Centre, Shamima Ali, says a travel ban imposed on her by the interim government has now been lifted following a television interview.

Ms Ali was stopped at the airport and told she could not fly to Australia because she was on a list of people banned from travelling.

The ban came the day after the former president of the Fiji Law Society Graham Leung was stopped from flying to New Zealand for a conference.

Ms Ali says she was approached by Fiji TV to tell her story and after that she received a call from the director of Immigration, Viliame Naupoto.

"As soon as the news piece finished I got a call from Mr Naupoto and he said where can I fax your clearance to travel."

Ms Ali, who is a Human Rights Commissioner in Fiji, says she's surprised Fijians are being told their Bill of Rights is intact when they're being denied the right to free movement and speech.