COMMISSION DOES NOT CONDONE ANY ALLEGATIONS OF TORTURE AND BRUTALITY

The Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Commission does not condone any allegations of torture and brutality.

As a matter of fact, the Commission has issued two statements in relation to this issue and the Commission does not see the need to continuously respond to the Fiji Times or any other third party running commentaries for political point scoring. The Commission will not be complicit in a trial by media when the Commission has made it clear to The Fiji Times, and we have e mail evidence of that correspondence to The Fiji Times, that the Commission is investigating this matter to independently ascertain the veracity of claims made by the 16 year old. What is highly curious is that The Fiji Times appears to be the doorkeeper on this issue. The Fiji Times has run several stories on this issue but has the newspaper encouraged the 16 year old and his parents to lodge an official complaint? Or is the intention to show, without having accessed institutions for remedy, that there is no respect for human rights? The Commission has called The Fiji Times several times and has written formally to you requesting the contact details of the 16 year old and his family. I note that you have yet to respond to the queries sent to you by the Commission and the newspaper has approached the Commission seeking its response to the Former Assistant Commissioner of Police. What is more important? Independent investigations into the allegations and the provisions of remedy or continuous back and forth interchange with arm chair critics? The Commission encourages this individual to come forward and lodge an official complaint with the Human Rights and AntiDiscrimination Commission.

>Source: Fiji Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Commission