Fiji lawyer applauded for speaking out

Transcript

The New Zealand Law Society is concerned about the credibility of an investigation into the alleged intimidation of a Fijian lawyer by security forces because the head of police is a former military man.

Aman Ravindra-Singh has claimed that he and his associates have been threatened and people close to him attacked because he is acting for people who have been accused of sedition.

The Lautoka lawyer believes security forces were behind the attacks.

Fiji's acting Police Commissioner Brigadier General Sitiveni Qiliho says it will investigate.

Bridget Tunnicliffe asked the chair of the New Zealand Law Society's Rule of Law Committee, Austin Forbes QC, if that's reassuring.

AUSTIN FORBES: That's exactly the response that should occur and indeed it's encouraging that the police in Fiji are saying that they will investigate these complaints. I think there is an implied concern that the threats and indeed the attacks that have been alleged by Mr Ravindra-Singh have been in some shape or form on behalf of the state in Fiji. Now I'm not saying that's the case but it's pretty evident that he thinks that's the case and if that was the situation it makes it particularly serious but it is as I said encouraging that the police are going to investigate the matter and hopefully that's done thoroughly and they find out what the situation truly is.

BRIDGET TUNNICLIFE: Can we be confident of that though given that the police force is now run by the military's former land force commander Sitiveni Qiliho. These allegations are against military people and he is a military man essentially.

AF: That is of course a concern, I mean the appointment of a military officer as chief of police in itself was something that the New Zealand Law Society had some concerns about because it is an unconventional thing. We were told at the time that it was only a temporary arrangement and hopefully that's the case because there should really be a clear separation between any country's military operators and their police force. So one can only hope that they do thoroughly investigate it. Mr Ravindra-Singh has been fairly brave in making the statements he has, he obviously believes he's justified in doing so and the concern we have here in New Zealand is that if what he is saying is correct, then the matter does need to be properly investigated and not in a way that just results in a cover-up.

BT: He's also spoken to us in the past just about how much of a challenge it is to take on these sedition cases given also that the prime minister Frank Bainimarama speaks quite openly to the media about these people he's defending, making very negative comments about these people and almost making them out to be guilty before it even goes before the courts.

AF: Again that's a concern I think the reported terms that may have be used by [Frank Bainimarama] in this regard is that these people will be 'crushed' that's a bit of a chilling comment if it's correct. People should be entitled to exercise legitimately and in a proper and lawful way their rights in terms of protest, in terms of seeking whatever they are looking for as to the political or social make-up of the country and it's a concern that a lawyer that's acting for them in respect of charges before the courts should feel that he's being intimidated.