Fiji’s AG denies police intimidating people at constitutional commission

Posted at 22:35 on 03 September, 2012 UTC

The Fiji interim Attorney-General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum has denied police are intimidating people giving submissions to the constitutional commission.

Shamima Ali, the coordinator of the Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre, has said the plain-clothed officers were taking copious notes and people were afraid to speak out.

Her comments were supported by the Head of the Women’s Rights Movement, Virisila Buadromo who said there would be more people giving submissions if they felt it was safe to do so.

Mr Sayed-Khaiyum says the allegations are false and people are free to criticise the government. He says those speaking out on the issue of intimidation are doing so with ulterior motives.

“Look these are all concoctions from Shamima and her group of people. This is not to take away from the work of the women’s crisis centre, they are also a lot of important work, but it would appear that some of the agendas that they are taken up now have nothing to do with their specific mandate but has to do with some wider political agenda.”

The interim Attorney-General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum.