22 Sep 2014

Call for Fiji human rights to be addressed

7:55 pm on 22 September 2014

Human rights NGOs in Fiji say the transition to democracy presents an opportunity for the incoming government to address human rights issues.

The chair of the Coalition on Human Rights, Shamima Ali, says work needs to be done to address things such as cases of torture, deaths in custody and a lack of transparency and accountability in government.

She says that with the appointment of a democratically elected government, a strong foundation can be built for Fiji with human rights at its core.

Ms Ali says the coalition is working on a document on how to address problems that it hopes to have completed by the end of the week.

Fiji government buildings

Fiji government buildings Photo: RNZI / Sally Round

"Definitely on our list is re-instituting the human rights commission, you know, making it Paris Principles compliant, and that will call for a repealing of the human rights decree and then also I think reviewing sections of the constitution."

Shamima Ali says the coalition is hoping to meet with the new government and other MPs in the near future.