15 Apr 2010

Fiji regime considers further media decree consultations

12:55 pm on 15 April 2010

Reports from Fiji say the interim regime may hold a second round of consultations about its proposed Media Decree.

The Attorney-General, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, has told the FBC that there were some useful suggestions from the first consultations and they are likely to engage these people again soon.

The draft decree has been described as draconian over its provision to jail journalists for up to five years for media breaches.

Mr Sayed-Khaiyum says they are still working on the draft and no specific time frame has been set in terms of the implementation of the decree.

The interim regime has said once a media decree is in place, it will lift the emergency provisions, including the media censorship.

The censorship has been in place since last April when the regime abrogated the constitution after the appeal court ruled that the post-coup administration was illegal.

Amnesty International has described the proposed decree as the deathnail for free media in Fiji which could enable further abuses to go unreported.