A regional media watchdog has criticised the Fiji police for failing to take action against a prisoner that assaulted a local journalist.
Photo: RNZI/Johnny Blades
The Pacific Freedom Forum said police failed to uphold the law over an incident in which a journalist was reportedly assaulted right in front of police, outside Fiji's main courts.
Filming a man sentenced on a corruption case, Fiji Broadcasting Corporation journalist Praneeta Prakash was struck in the stomach with a stone thrown by a remand prisoner.
The prisoner was under police escort at the time.
Police refused to take action even as the prisoner swore and verbally abused Prakash.
The PFF Chair Monica Miller said refusing to answer a complaint from the journalist is a serious dereliction of duty by police.
"All too often, media fail to raise any protest when a colleague is threatened or assaulted", she said.
The Fiji Media Association's general secretary Stanley Simpson also condemned the assault and lack of action, saying journalists "need to be left to do their work because in the end it benefits everyone."
"In these public spaces, and especially in the public interest, the journalist has every right to be there to take footage."
The PFF welcomed a promise from police spokesperson Ana Naisoro that a thorough investigation would be carried out.
She said said that they "have had some incidents where members of the public have attacked journalists again. We would request them to respect the rights of the journalist. They are simply doing their jobs, they're not breaking any law."
The PFF said that police leadership needs to send a strong message to its officers that they need to take action when they see crime - and punish those that don't.
Ms Miller said Fiji police should suspend any officer under investigation.
