Fiji's military have been given permission to shoot civilians without fear of being prosecuted.
Terrified Fijians say they are too frightened to speak out after the latest political upheaval, which has seen the nation's media gagged by sweeping state censorship restrictions in a crackdown on dissenting free speech.
Armed forces chief Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama returned to power as prime minister on Saturday, a day after the president suspended the constitution and fired the judges who had declared the his previous government illegal.
President Ratu Josefa Iloilo also declared a 30-day state of emergency, limiting freedom of speech, expanding police powers and curbing media.
Reports emerged yesterday of people being detained without charge in the absence of a judiciary. Public Emergency Regulations imposed by the military regime have given military personnel permission to use arms to break up processions, meetings or assemblies. If anyone is injured or killed, the decree grants soldiers immunity from prosecution.
Yesterday's Fiji Times had blank pages after police censors forced the paper to erase international reaction to latest developments.
Read more...
A bit like the UK and USA then really!
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thanks for your comment it is much appreciated.