11 Jan 2010

Fiji human rights lawyer defiant amid regime antics

1:40 pm on 11 January 2010

A prominent international human rights lawyer in Fiji, who is being taken to court by the anti-corruption agency, says she will not allow the Bainimarama regime to hound her out of the country.

Imrana Jalal, who is a member of the International Commission of Jurists, is facing what she calls trumped up charges over a minor city council matter as part of the military's campaign to try to silence critics.

Ms Jalal says the approach is being orchestrated to target those who have internationally the highest credibility.

She says she suspects that the interim regime will try to hamper her and her husband's travel options as they are banned from joint overseas travel.

"They violated the court order that allowed my husband to leave recently, so it's not that they would like me to leave. If they wanted us to leave we wouldn't leave."

Imrana Jalal says people in Fiji are tired and just want to get on with their lives.