Media on the radar
SEDITION PROVISIONS OF THE CRIMES ACT 2009
THE Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) Regional Office for the Pacific says the sedition provisions of the Crimes Act 2009 have been used to target the media and dissenting voices.
In the same document, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) also encouraged Fiji to revise the Penal Code and remove sedition charges for acts of speech, in line with international standards.
The document also revealed that the Special Rapporteur on racism recalled that the lack of a proper definition of what constituted racist or hate speech gave wide-ranging discretionary powers to Media Industry Development Authority (MIDA) and the executive to prohibit the publication of certain content by the media.
THE Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) Regional Office for the Pacific has stated that the sedition provisions of the Crimes Act 2009 had been used to target the media and dissenting voices.
In a document by the Human Rights Council Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review for Fiji, it was highlighted that the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women remained concerned about the possibility under the Constitution, the Public Order (Amendment) Decree of 2012 and the Media Industry Development Decree of 2010 of restrictions on freedom of expression, assembly and association.
“Moreover, the fact that such restrictions might be intensified under the Parliamentary Powers and Privileges Bill of 2016,” the committee stated.
“The OHCHR Regional Office for the Pacific stated that overly broad legislation had been used to prosecute journal
ists whose work was deemed to be against the ‘public interest or public order’, with violations punishable by fines of up to $F1000 or imprisonment of up to two years under the Media Industry Development Decree of 2010.
“It also noted that media organisations could be fined up to $F100,000 for breaching the Act.”
In the same document, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) also encouraged Fiji to revise the Penal Code and remove sedition charges for acts of speech, in line with international standards.
The document also revealed that the Special Rapporteur on racism recalled that the lack of a proper definition of what constituted racist or hate speech gave wide-ranging discretionary powers to MIDA and the executive to prohibit the publication of certain content by the media.
Questions sent to the Attorney-General and Minister for Communications via electronic mail (email) on Wednesday, Thursday and again yesterday on the recommendations and comments in the document remained unanswered.
In response to questions from this newspaper, MIDA chairman Ashwin Raj said, “I am currently overseas meeting with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. I will respond upon my return to Fiji.”