Journalism has been under pressure in Fiji ever since a military coup in 2006. The latest example has alarmed Amnesty International, which has called for an end to the harassment of journalists.
It reports that two journalism academics from Fiji's University of the South Pacific are to be investigated for commenting on an admission by the military that it has used torture.
The academics were referring to a statement by Brigadier-General Mosese Tikoitoga that Fijian citizens had been beaten and tortured by the military regime.
The general told The (Melbourne) Age that torture was necessary to stave off civil disorder. He was quoted as saying: "A lot of these people were actually trying to instigate violence...
"They were talking on the radio and so on… If you let them continue to have a voice, you create a potentially dangerous environment. So it was the lesser of two devils."
Amnesty International says the investigation of the academics follows a number of arrests, arbitrary detentions and the levying of heavy fines against journalists who have attempted to exercise their right to freedom of expression.
"Instead of persecuting journalists the Fijian government should instead focus its efforts on investigating cases of torture, which the military now appears to have admitted to openly," said Michael Hayworth, Amnesty's crisis response campaign coordinator based in Australia.
"There is a worrying pattern in Fiji of the authorities trying to silence journalists ahead of the elections in September."
Amnesty International is calling for Fiji to lift restrictions on the media and to ensure that journalists are not subject to prosecution, intimidation or harassment for undertaking their legitimate work and publishing diverse views.
Sources: Amnesty International/The Age
