New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters have spoken out against the detention of three Newsroom journalists in Fiji, saying media freedom must be protected.
Newsroom.co.nz reports Ardern said media freedom was a paramount consideration for her government.
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters says Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama's apology to the three journalists "seems" genuine.
Peters also says it’s very difficult to try and work out what legal status, what legal rights they were losing here because they were taken to a restaurant, they were given a meal and the whole 100 yards, which is not what sounds like normal detention.
The three were released yesterday and no further action will be taken.
Police say the three were provided meals, taken to a restaurant to get their dinner and this morning were in the care of officers from the Tourist Police in their office where they were given breakfast and coffee was brought in for them.
Police say that contrary to media reports of the three being jailed, the three were never detained in any cell and were well looked after by Police officers.
The journalists had been trying to interview Resort developer, Freesoul Real Estate on the environmental breaches in the Malolo resort development.
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