Despite the government repealing a restrictive media law, reversing travel bans on critics and strengthen the Fiji Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Commission, it has not made an attempt to change or remove the Public Order (Amendment) Act.
Due to this, the state of civic space in Fiji is rated as ‘narrowed’ by the CIVICUS Monitor.
CIVICUS is a global civil society alliance, constitutes an influential network of organisations at the local, national, regional and international levels, and spans the spectrum of civil society.
“The police have also restricted pro-Palestinian marches,” said CIVICUS Monitor.
“The Human Rights Council reviewed Fiji’s human rights record in January 2025 and made 209 recommendations as part of its Universal Periodic Review (UPR).”
“The recommendations made on civic space include to safeguard the right to freedoms of expression, assembly and association and repeal restrictive legislation, including the sedition provisions in the Crimes Act, the Public Order (Amendment) Act and the Electoral Amendment Act of 2022 that can be misused to suppress criticism of the government by the media.”
“There were also calls to guarantee freedom of the press, promote a safe and enabling environment for human rights defenders and conduct impartial, thorough and independent investigations into all cases of attacks, harassment and intimidation against civil society members, human rights defenders and journalists.
CIVICUS Monitor adds a critical attempt to overhaul Fiji’s 2013 Constitution failed in Parliament in March 2025, as the government’s amendment bill was defeated, falling short of the required 75 percent requirement or 41 votes.
“The key changes that the bill sought were to remove the requirement of three-quarters of MPs and three-quarters of registered voters to pass any amendment to the 2013 Constitution.”
“The Fiji Truth and Reconciliation Act, passed by Parliament in December 2024, will enable the Commission to uncover the truth about past political events.”
“In recent months, concerns have been raised on restrictions to freedom of peaceful assembly, especially around the protest on International Human Rights Day and also ongoing restrictions on solidarity protests on Palestine.”
