A Pacific media watchdog says Fiji's interim government is cementing its own repressive image by filing another contempt case against the Fiji Times.
The newspaper published an interview with Oceania Football's Tai Nicholas which included remarks described by the interim regime as potentially undermining and damaging for the administration of justice in Fiji.
The Pacific Freedom Forum says the Fiji Times is once again bearing the brunt of a regime tantrum against freedom of expression.
Its co-chairperson Monica Miller says direct and mediated complaint processes are the way forward to deal with any breaches of media ethics and standards.
"They have a Fiji Media Council and I would have thought that this could be brought up as an issue that the Council would tackle, rather than have the government officials take over. A complaint process is in place and this should be used."
Monica Miller of the Pacific Freedom Forum.
The organisation has repeated its call for the Fiji regime to lift the Public Emergency Regulations and repeal the Media Decree which put censors in Fiji's newsrooms.
