A woman with disabilities was taken into police custody and not given assistance in terms of access to toilet facilities was only allowed to go home after intervention by the Human Rights and Anti Discrimination Commission.
And because this case and ongoing alleged police brutality cases, the commission is calling on the Fiji Police Force to stop police brutality.
Commission chairperson Pravesh Sharma said they welcomed the Home Affairs Minister’s commitment to having police brutality cases investigated and those held accountable to face the criminal justice system.
In a statement issued today, he said the commission “strongly condemns any act of violence inflicted by the law enforcement agencies on people during arrest or while in custody.”
“One of the reasons detained persons are brutalized or tortured by law enforcement agents is to obtain confessions or information from them,” said chairperson Pravesh Sharma.
“That confession or Information obtained by torture should be inadmissible in Court.”
Section 11(1) of the Constitution of the Republic of Fiji states that every person has the right to freedom from torture of any kind, whether physical, mental or emotional, and from cruel, inhumane, degrading or disproportionately severe treatment or punishment.
Fiji has also ratified the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment in 2016.
Mr Sharma said the Commission has received complaints in relation to allegations of police brutality and police misconduct from the public.
He said in a recent case, the commission received a complaint of alleged harassment by police of a disabled woman who was taken into custody and left unattended at a police station.
The woman was in diapers and was unassisted in using toilet facilities.
After the commission intervened, the woman was allowed to go home.
Mr Sharma said victims of brutality are entitled to lodge a complaint with the commission.
He said the commission was preparing for a Torture Prevention Workshop next month in
Suva in collaboration with the Association for the Prevention of Torture and the Asia Pacific Forum on National Human Rights Institutions to create, amongst law enforcement agencies, awareness on torture prevention.
