Following the use of the Public Order (Amendment) Act to restrict peaceful assembly and expression, the inclusion of sedition provisions in the Crimes Act, and police restrictions on pro-Palestinian marches in recent years, the state of civic space in Fiji is rated as ‘narrowed’ by the CIVICUS Monitor.
According to UNESCO, CIVICUS Monitor is a research tool that provides close to real-time data on the state of civil society and civic freedoms in 196 countries.
The report on Fiji states that human rights organisations called for reforms to Fiji's police and military systems after Sakiasi Radravu and Jone Vakarisi died in custody in April this.
Radravu died from what his family alleges were injuries caused by torture and sexual abuse during a police raid over an alleged burglary, while Vakarisi died in military custody after being taken for questioning by soldiers to the Republic of Fiji Military Forces headquarters in Suva.
The police have yet to charge any suspects for his death in custody.
They say the National Referendum Bill 2025 that is being reviewed by the Standing Committee on Justice, Law and Human Rights contains provisions that critics say could restrict campaigning and political participation.
It further reports that twenty-seven years after its establishment, the Fiji Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Commission has opened its first office in the Northern Division.
The report states that in recent months, police disrupted protests against the establishment of an Israeli embassy while police seized a journalist's phone over a Facebook post.
It also noted that the High Court ruled that criminal proceedings against citizen journalist Charlie Charters violated his constitutional rights and abused the court process.
The report also raises concerns about provisions in the Fiji policing bill, while the UN calls for online safety laws to adhere to international standards.
It says the UN human rights office in the Pacific provided oral and written submissions to the Fiji Law Reform Commission where they emphasised the importance of a human rights-based and evidence-based approach to addressing online harms, including safeguards for freedom of expression, privacy and due process, alongside effective protection for people who may be particularly exposed to online harm.
This includes children, journalists and human rights defenders, persons with disabilities, and persons of diverse sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and sex characteristics.
It also encouraged meaningful and inclusive consultation with rights-holders and a structured assessment of the compatibility of proposed measures with international human rights standards.
The report adds previously, CSOs had called for urgent reform of the Online Safety Act 2018, warning that its controversial ‘causing harm by electronic communication’ provision has been used to investigate and prosecute individuals in ways that threaten free expression.
Questions have been sent to the Office of the Prime Minister.
Questions have been sent to the Office of the Prime Minister.
