Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

A former Fiji Human Rights Commissioner says treatment of academic is shocking

Posted at 22:40 on 05 November, 2009 UTC

A former Fiji Human Rights Commissioner says the treatment of the Fiji born Australian academic, Brij Lal, by military authorities is shocking.

Professor Lal says the military authorities came to his house and took him to the barracks for questioning on Wednesday, giving him 24 hours to leave Fiji.

This came after he gave media interviews criticising the interim regime’s expulsion of top New Zealand and Australian diplomats earlier this week.

Professor Lal left Fiji yesterday morning and is now back in Australia.

Shamima Ali says the military’s behaviour is unacceptable.

“I’m very concerned about what’s happening. We seem to be facing a deteriorating situation politically in this country. And when we thought that bridges have been mended that’s when it seems that it slipped out of our hands again. So it’s not a good place for Fiji to be at the moment.”

Shamima Ali.