Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

Former Fiji human rights commissoner labels latest decree farcical

Posted at 03:33 on 20 May, 2009 UTC

A former Fiji human rights commissioner has labelled a decree banning the Human Rights Commission from taking complaints or investigate the abrogation of the constitution as farcical.

Under the new decree, the commission is to educate the public about human rights, but it’s not to receive complaints to investigate or question the legality of the abrogation of the 1997 constitution or other presidential decrees.

Shamima Ali says the decree is shocking.

“It’s nothing short of a farce and a mockery of a national institution on human rights, because the issue that’s contained in there are in total contradiction to each other. On one hand, it cannot investigate human rights abuses and the abrogation of the constitution, and on the other hand three commissioners promote human rights in the country. It really doesn’t make sense.”

Shamima Ali says no self-respecting human rights commission will set itself up under this decree.