13 Nov 2015

UN in Fiji calls for police to uphold human rights

6:19 pm on 13 November 2015

The United Nations office in Fiji is hoping the country's new acting police commissioner will continue to encourage accountability and respect for human rights.

This week Ben Groenewald resigned suddenly from the post amid comments over the military's interference in the work of police.

His replacement is Sitiveni Qiliho who had been the Land Force commander.

The acting head of the UN Human Rights office for the Pacific, Catherine Phuong, says they had developed close links with the Fiji police under Mr Groenewald.

She says they hope for a continued good relationship and says the bottom line must be zero tolerance for acts of ill-treatment.

"The video of the two men being beaten by law enforcement officers, as I remember, has shocked many people, both in Fiji and abroad. And this is really a test case. And we were encouraged to see that five men were finally charged in this case, and that took a long time. And we continue to call on the authorities to ensure that the perpetrators are brought to justice."

Get the RNZ app

for ad-free news and current affairs