11 Apr 2019

Same-sex marriage not a right - Fiji human rights chief

4:37 am on 11 April 2019

International law does not necessarily recognise same-sex marriage as a right, Fiji's Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Commission says.

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Photo: Creative Commons/Ludovic Bertron

Fiji prime minister Frank Bainimarama this week said there would be no same-sex marriage in Fiji as long as FijiFirst remained in power.

But the Fiji Coalition on Human Rights said it is disappointed and disturbed by Mr Bainimarama's statement.

Commission director Ashwin Raj said Fiji needed to have calm and rational debate on this sensitive subject.

Fijians must not mislead and politicise what international human rights law says on the issue, Mr Raj said.

There needs to be more clarity on what the constitution states on the issue of same-sex marriage, he said.