Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

Fiji police treat fatal police beating as murder

Posted at 07:22 on 07 June, 2007 UTC

Fiji police say they are treating this week’s death of a man picked up by police as murder.

Police say the post mortem revealed that 30-year-old Tevita Malasebe died as a result of internal injuries he received.

He had been arrested at his home in the middle of the night by about eight policemen in civilian clothes on suspicion of criminal activity.

The acting police commissioner, Romanu Tikotikoca, says extensive enquiries have been conducted.

He says he wants to reassure the public that the investigations will be impartial, fair and transparent.

Earlier this year, two men died following their detention by the military.

There has been international condemnation of the reported human rights abuses since the coup but so far nobody has been sanctioned for any alleged wrongdoing.