15 Jul 2016

Police brutality investigation needed

8:19 am on 15 July 2016

A prominent human rights advocate in Fiji says it is worrying that old pictures of police brutality do not appear to have been investigated until they were made public this week.

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

Men in uniform are seen in the background.

The co-ordinator of the Fiji Women's Crisis Centre, Shamima Ali, said it had emerged the pictures date back to 2009, but it was not apparent that there was any investigation into the alleged abuse.

Shamima Ali

Shamima Ali Photo: SUPPLED

However, she welcomed the new police commissioner Brigadier General Sitiveni Qiliho's promise to open an investigation into the images.

"You know, the last ten years of Fiji's history, often these things are not easy to come out, people do stretch it a bit when it comes to taking action, but it has been worse," Ms Ali said.

"I am assured by the present police commissioner's saying that definitely they will look into this."

Shamima Ali said the Fiji Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Commission must make a stand on the issue.