6 Dec 2016

Fiji Sodelpa leader welcomes Amnesty report

12:43 pm on 6 December 2016
Fiji SODELPA leader Sitiveni Rabuka

Fiji SODELPA leader Sitiveni Rabuka Photo: AFP

The leader of Fiji's Sodelpa Party has thanked Amnesty International for what he calls its timely report on the ingrained culture of torture in Fiji.

Monday's report said people are still being violently assaulted by security forces that act with relative impunity, highlighting several prominent cases.

Sitiveni Rabuka has urged authorities to review the report and to bring to justice public servants who had allegedly committed assaults on civilians.

Mr Rabuka said Fiji had signed the UN Convention Against Torture and as a state party, Fiji has the legal obligation to do all it can to prevent, prosecute and punish torture.

He said the almost daily reports of accused people limping to court with visible injuries point to the dire situation with police and security forces.

The Sodelpa leader said more training was required on investigation techniques and anger management to prevent the extraction of confessions by torture.

Mr Rabuka said the report was timely given Fiji's attempt to join the UN Human Rights Council in the next round of voting.

A screenshot of video showing Rajneel Singh in Fiji lying on the floor of his home during an attack. The video has been confirmed as genuine by his lawyer Aman Ravindra-Singh.

A screenshot of video showing Rajneel Singh in Fiji lying on the floor of his home during an attack. The video has been confirmed as genuine by his lawyer Aman Ravindra-Singh. Photo: Supplied

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