Amnesty International has urged the Fiji government to invite a special United Nations investigator to Fiji before the end of the year to review the independence of judges and lawyers.
The call comes following Friday's conviction of a prominent NGO in Fiji and its CEO for contempt of court for their role in publishing a critical report on Fiji's judiciary.
The group, the Citizens' Constitutional Forum, is considering whether to appeal against the ruling.
Amnesty's Pacific researcher Kate Schuetze says the Fiji government is coming up for review before the UN Human Rights Committee next year and it would be timely to allow in the Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers, as promised in 2010.
"The judiciary, legal professionals and human rights defenders as well as the government can all put their views before the UN Special Rapporteur as an independent visitor and they can assess the situation and make recommendations."
Amnesty International's Pacific researcher, Kate Schuetze
