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about press freedom conditions in FIJI
New York, July 19, 2000--The Committee to Protect Journalists
(CPJ) condemned recent attacks by forces under the control of rebel
leader George Speight and called on the coup leader to respect the
right of the press to work freely. The press in Fiji has been operating
without constitutional protections since martial law was declared
on May 29, and CPJ is concerned that these attacks foreshadow new
restrictions on press freedom.
On May 19, Speight with his forces stormed Fiji's parliamentary complex,
taking Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry, and at least 30 others, hostage;
the group was released on July 13. In the past eight weeks, Speight's
rebel supporters have engaged in a pattern of violence and intimidation
against journalists trying to cover unfolding events. CPJ has documented
a number of instances of journalists being detained, assaulted, and
threatened. In one case, a cameraman was shot in the arm; in another
incident, rebels ransacked a local TV station.
"There is no excuse for violence against journalists," said Ann Cooper,
executive director of CPJ. "The most basic norms of civilized behavior
as enshrined in international law demand respect for freedom of the
press, even during periods of conflict."
A non-partisan organization dedicated to the defense of journalists
around the world, CPJ has documented the following cases of attacks
against the press in Fiji:
- On May 27, Jerry Harmer, a cameraman for Associated Press Television
News, was shot in the arm while he taped an armed confrontation
between approximately 150 coup supporters and about a dozen government
troops. Harmer reported that a rebel soldier had pointed his gun
at a group of journalists before firing once and hitting him. Harmer
was treated at Colonial War Memorial Hospital in Suva, then flown
to Australia for recuperation. In this case, Speight denied responsibility
for the media's safety, saying journalists were there "at their
own risk."
- On May 28, coup supporters led a rampage through Suva, including
a siege of the headquarters of Fiji TV. Fiji TV staff fled the
building, while rebels destroyed an estimated $300,000 worth of
equipment. The station remained off the air for 18 hours while government
troops secured the premises. Local journalists said one hour prior
to the attack, Fiji TV's "Close Up" had examined the legitimacy
of the coup in a critical context.
- On May 29, administrators at the University of the South Pacific
shut down Pacific Journalism
Online (PJO), the Web site of USP's journalism students. Vice
Chancellor Eselia Solofa explained the decision as a security measure.
The last item posted on PJO in May was a transcript of Fiji TV's
"Close Up," the program that may have prompted the rebel assault
on the station. PJO has become an important source of news and information
since the coup. The University of Technology in Sydney briefly played
host to the PJO; on June 28, the university was said to allow the
site to go back up, but prohibited it from posting news about the
coup.
- On June 28, ten foreign and six local journalists were detained
by Geroge Speight after a press conference. Involuntarily held
were correspondents from The Fiji Times, The Fiji Sun,
Fiji TV, FM96 Radio, Sydney Morning Herald, Reuters TV, Agence
France-Presse, Australia Broadcasting Corporation, Network 9 and
Radio New Zealand. Speight told the journalists that he could not
guarantee their safety outside parliament, and that military leaders
had ordered their soldiers to shoot-to-kill. He advised the correspondants
to spend the night, and some felt they were in danger of being held
hostage. Speight released the journalists after an approximate two-hour
detention.
- On July 4, Sitivene Moce, a photojournalist with The Fiji
Sun, was detained, threatened, and beaten by Speight supporters.
When Moce arrived for a press conference at the parliament buildings,
armed rebels accused him of photographing other rebels. Moce denied
the charges, but was confined by the rebels, interrogated, and threatened
with physical harm. Moce believes the men were in communication
with Speight via two-way radio. Eventually they agreed they had
mistaken Moce for someone else, and he was released. But as Moce
was leaving the parliamentary complex about 30 Speight supporters
swarmed him, severely beat him, and robbed him of his camera equipment
and personal possessions. On July 10, Speight's spokesman Jo Nata
apologized directly to Moce, but no equipment was returned.
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