13 Jul 2016

Fiji police say brutal images are old

3:49 pm on 13 July 2016

Warning - story contains graphic image.

Fiji's police commissioner says photos that have emerged on social media of bloodied and captive men are old photos and not linked to a current operation.

Fiji's Police Commissioner, Sitiveni Qiliho. April 2016.

Fiji's Police Commissioner, Sitiveni Qiliho. Photo: Fiji PM's YouTube channel.

The photos show shots of several men with bruises and cuts, and one lying with a bandaged head and hands tied.

Men in uniform are seen in the background.

There was concern the images related to a joint police and military operation to clamp down on marijuana farms in the Fiji highlands.

But Brigadier General Sitiveni Qiliho has told the FBC that the photos are in no way linked to that operation, which is ongoing.

However, he did say that police will investigate the alleged mistreatment in the photos.