New York, July 19, 2000--The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)
condemned recent attacks by forces under the control of rebel leader
George Speight and called on the coup leader to respect the right of the press
to work freely. The press in Fiji has been operating without
constitutional protections since martial law was declared on May 29, and CPJ
is
concerned that these attacks foreshadow new restrictions on press freedom.
On May 19, Speight with his forces stormed Fiji's parliamentary complex,
taking Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry, and at least 30 others,
hostage; the group was released on July 13. In the past eight weeks, Speight's
rebel supporters have engaged in a pattern of violence and intimidation
against journalists trying to cover unfolding events. CPJ has
documented a number of instances of journalists being detained, assaulted, and
threatened. In one case, a cameraman was shot in the arm; in another
incident, soldiers ransacked a local TV station.
"There is no excuse for violence against journalists," said Ann Cooper,
executive director of CPJ. "The most basic norms of civilized behavior
as enshrined in international law demand respect for freedom of the press,
even during periods of conflict."
A non-partisan organization dedicated to the defense of journalists
around the world, CPJ has documented the following cases of attacks against
the
press in Fiji:
* On May 27, Jerry Harmer, a cameraman for Associated Press
Television News, was shot in the arm while he taped an armed confrontation between
approximately 150 coup supporters and about a dozen government troops.
Harmer reported that a rebel soldier had pointed his gun at a group of
journalists before firing once and hitting him. Harmer was treated at
Colonial War Memorial Hospital in Suva, then flown to Australia for
recuperation. In this case, Speight denied responsibility for the
media's safety, saying journalists were there "at their own risk."
* On May 28, coup supporters led a rampage through Suva, including
a siege of the headquarters of Fiji TV. Fiji TV staff fled the building,
while rebels destroyed an estimated $300,000 worth of equipment. The station
remained off the air for 18 hours while government troops secured the
premises. Local journalists said one hour prior to the attack, Fiji TV's
"Close Up" had examined the legitimacy of the coup in a critical
context.
* On May 29, administrators at the University of the South Pacific
shut down Pacific Journalism Online (PJO) <http://www.usp.ac.fj/journ>,
the Web site of USP's journalism students. Vice Chancellor Eselia Solofa
explained the decision as a security measure. The last item posted on PJO in
May
was a transcript of Fiji TV's "Close Up," the program that may have
prompted
the rebel assault on the station. PJO has become an important source of
news and information since the coup. The University of Technology in Sydney
briefly played host to the PJO; on June 28, USP administration was said
to allow the site to go back up, but prohibited it from posting news about
the coup. (UTS continues to host the web site until students return from
break
on August 7
* On June 28, ten foreign and six local journalists were detained
by Geroge Speight after a press conference. Involuntarily held were
correspondents from The Fiji Times, The Fiji Sun, Fiji TV, FM96 Radio,
Sydney Morning Herald, Reuters TV, Australia Broadcasting Corporation,
and Radio New Zealand. Speight told the journalists that he could not
guarantee their safety outside parliament, and that military leaders had ordered
their soldiers to shoot-to-kill. He advised the correspondants to spend the
night, and some felt they were in danger of being held hostage. Speight
released the journalists after an approximate two-hour detention.
* On July 4, Sitivene Moce, a photojournalist with The Fiji Sun,
was detained, threatened, and beaten by Speight supporters. When Moce
arrived for a press conference at the parliament buildings, armed rebels accused
him of photographing other rebels. Moce denied the charges, but was
confined by the rebels, interrogated, and threatened with physical harm. Moce
believes the men were in communication with Speight via two-way radio.
Eventually they agreed they had mistaken Moce for someone else, and he was
released.
But as Moce was leaving the parliamentary complex about 30 Speight
supporters swarmed him, severely beat him, and robbed him of his camera
equipment and personal possessions. On July 10, Speight's spokesman Jo
Nata apologized directly to Moce, but no equipment was returned.
For Further Information, please contact:
Asia Division,
Committee to Protect Journalists
330 Seventh Ave., 12th Floor
New York, NY 10001
EMAIL: alloyd@cpj.org
TEL: 212-465-1004 ext 117
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