The Fiji Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Commission says they have not received any complaint regarding a 16-year-old boy allegedly interrogated and assaulted by two military officers on September 23rd, and have made several attempts to get the boy's contact details from the Fiji Times.
This is in relation to a story that was done by the newspaper on 7th October.
The Commission says this is a serious allegation of human rights violation and they are intending to conduct an own motion investigation.
The commission says they have called the newspaper company several times and have written formally to them, requesting the contact details of the 16-year-old and his family.
Another letter of request was sent to the newspaper on Wednesday. The Commission has encouraged the 16-year-old to come forward and lodge an official complaint with the Commission.
It says they are mandated to investigate of its own motion by article 30 of Human Rights Commission Decree 2009, which stipulates that subject to sections 27(2) and 28(2), the Commission may investigate of its own motion any act, omission, practice, requirement or condition which is or appears to be unfair discrimination or a contravention of human rights or which has been referred to it by the High Court.
Director Ashwin Raj says the Commission has issued two statements in relation to this issue and the Commission does not see the need to continuously respond to the newspaper or any other third party running commentaries for political point scoring.
Raj says the Commission will not be complicit in a trial by media when the Commission has made it clear to the newspaper, and the Commission has e-mail evidence of that correspondence to the Fiji Times, that the Commission is investigating this matter to independently ascertain the veracity of claims made by the 16 year old.
He says the newspaper has run several stories on this issue and Raj has questioned whether the Fiji Times has encouraged the 16-year-old and his parents to lodge an official complaint.
Raj then questions whether the intention of the newspaper is to show, without having accessed institutions for remedy, that there is no respect for human rights.
He further says that he notes that the newspaper is yet to respond to the queries sent by the Commission.
Meanwhile Fiji Times Editor, Fred Wesley says the contact details of the teenager were given to them confidentially.
He says they have tried to make contact with the family to see if they will let the newspaper share this information with the commission and will let them know as soon as possible.
