Evan Hannah is still the Publisher no matter where is.
This is the comment of News editor for Fiji Times, Netani Rika who said that though Hannah is not in the country at the moment, he will remain in his role.
However, when asked as to whether Hannah's absence will be seen as a hindrance to operations, Rika said the Company is waiting for the High Court ruling on Wednesday and operations will continue as normal.
Fiji High Court Judge Justice Filimoni Jitoko had given the state time to establish whether or not the court order preventing Fiji Times Publisher Evan Hannah's deportation was given on time and adhered to.
The case has been adjourned to 10am on Wednesday.
In the meantime, as deported Fiji Times publisher touched down in Sydney on Media Freedom Day, the waiting press gave him a chance to speak freely for the first time since his deportation from Fiji on Friday.
According to ABC News, Hannah told the waiting media at the airport that his expulsion showed that the Interim Government does not understand the concept of media freedom.
“It’s a pretty sad day for Fiji’s media,” Hannah said.
“Personally I think it’s pretty annoying and from a personal perspective it’s distressing.
“But it’s far more distressing for Fiji’s media and for the team at the Fiji Times. This is just another demonstration that the Interim Government simply does not understand the concept of press freedom (and) media freedom,” he said.
And Interim Attorney General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum insists that media freedom in Fiji is intact.
“In Fiji there is media freedom in terms of people being able to report on whatever issues and matters they want,” Sayed-Khaiyum said.
But Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith has said that Fiji’s treatment of Hannah deserves nothing but condemnation.
“(Hannah’s) deportation, the treatment of him and the conduct of the Interim Fiji Government is reprehensible. It deserves nothing but condemnation by the international community,” Smith said.
Smith, who has been Minister for Foreign Affairs since December of last year, said freedom of expression has been breached many times in Fiji.
“And on the eve of media freedom day it just underlines the fact that we’ve seen time after time the consistent breaches of human rights, consistent breaches of human rights, the very severe constraints on freedom of expression through the daily media,” he said.
