
The family of the prominent Fijian businesswoman, who had to attend court eleven times in five weeks in order to win permission to travel overseas for urgent medical treatment, has called on US secretary of state Hilary Clinton to bring Suva’s military regime to account for their violation of human rights and abandonment of the rule of law.
Dr Mere Samisoni, 74 and a member of parliament in Fiji’s last elected government that was deposed by military coup in 2006, was charged by the regime in January with incitement to political violence. Last month she applied to the courts for bail variation to seek urgent medical treatment linked to a dental condition.
Magistrate Usaia Ratuvili granted the request on 15 August, saying the Court was satisfied she would return to the country after her treatment. But when the State filed a motion of stay in the High Court, Justice Sailesi Temo criticised prosecutors that their complaint was not supported with strong factual foundation, adding that he was ‘sick and tired of lawyers coming to Court without studying or researching their cases.’
Justice Prabaharan Kumararatnam today denied the State’s application, saying it was a waste of time, and allowing Samisoni to travel to Australia where her condition will be treated in Brisbane. Kumararatnam is one of a growing number of Sri Lankan legal figures serving in Fiji since the regime removed most of the nation’s judiciary after abrogating the Constitution in 2009.
Samisoni’s family today criticised the Fiji regime’s treatment of their mother and grandmother, whose chain Hot Bread Kitchen operates in almost 30 locations and employs nearly 400 across Fiji.
They called for US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, reportedly planning to attend the Pacific Island Forum meeting in the nearby Cook Islands, and the governments of Australia and New Zealand to make Fiji’s regime account for human rights violations and the denigration of the rule of law.
“Secretary of State Hilary Clinton is expected to attend the Pacific Islands Forum meeting in Rarotonga later this month, where the situation in Fiji will be discussed. Australia and New Zealand have recently re-engaged diplomatic ties with Fiji, yet the regime continues to bully the people of Fiji and stifle opposing voices,” said a statement from the family.
“The governments of the US, Australia and NZ are in a strong position to call the regime to account for continual violation of human rights and the rule of law. We all hope the US, Australia and New Zealand are not encouraging Fiji at the expense of human rights and the rule of law under a fair court and judicial system,” said Vanessa Charters, Samisoni’s UK-based daughter.
“Fiji’s regime uses an active policy of Lawfare against prominent people, like my Mum, who are threats to them in a fair election. Lawfare misuses the legal process with the intention of discouraging people from standing up and speaking out against the regime. It keeps such people so busy fighting frivolous lawsuits that their time, money and attention is diverted away from opposing the regime.
“My family and I visited Mum in Fiji for a five-week holiday. During that time, the regime arrested her twice, the second time with eight officers and three police dogs. In both arrests she was released without charge. Also over our five-week visit she appeared in Court eleven times, including one appearance in the High Court where the State gave her less than 24 hours notice.
“Filing a motion of stay with less than 24 hours notice to appear in the High Court might look like clumsy ineptitude by the prosecutors, but it also a bullying tactic, well-known and much-used by tinpot regimes the world over.
“The real malice of Fiji’s Lawfare policy is that it intends to deter others from speaking out against the regime. Prominent and ordinary Fijians alike see how people like my mother, Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase, trade union leaders Daniel Urai and Felix Anthony, community leader Keni Dakuidreketi, human rights lawyer Imrana Jalal, and even military officers like Lt Col Pita Driti, are dragged through the courts and they become frightened to speak out.
“Obviously our family is pleased that Mum is now able to seek necessary medical treatment in Brisbane. But the DPP made it as distressing and traumatic a process as possible: a shameful way to treat a 74-year-old woman who only wants to serve her constituents and speak up, in a climate of fear, on their behalf.
“After Mum’s return to Fiji we all look forward to her being able to clear her name. It would be even better if that could happen under a fair legal system,” said Charters.
Samisoni’s on-going case is being monitored by the United Nations Office of Human Rights, Amnesty International and other international and diplomatic organisations.
46 comments:
There is no violation of rights in Fiji now. There was lots of violation of rights during Rabuka, Speight era.
Frank and Aiyaz are women beaters and frightened of geriatrics !
If possible, could C4.5 please list ALL the organizations that are monitoring Samisoni's case?.
I also have an issue that needs as much monitoring as possible.
Thank you very much.
It is a pity that the Court system is treating this lady who has greatly contributed to Fiji's economy this way.
It must be very frustrating for her knowing that she cannot do anything about it. To make it worse she is just an elderly lady trying to go about her business.
Government or the Judiciary must be really desperate to be doing all these things to frustrate her life!
Kamlesh Kumari
Why don't you come to Fiji and help our Indian sisters who are now prostituting themselves in order to make ends meet due to the financila illiteracy of the current government.
Or else shut up and enjoy your stay in NZ
With the UN monitoring her case, everything should be in good hands. This is actually the same UN that does lots of projects with the dictatorship when all other development partners have stalled their aid. And it is the same UN that keeps employing the RFMF thugs on their payroll as peacekeepers. So, Mere your case in in good hands!
Kamlesh Kumar, you're a cunning runt. Or is it the other way around?
@ mark manning...who you calling a geriatric?
The court sysytem is a kangaroo court remote controlled by junta
Has anyone recognised yet that Frank Bainimarama is afraid of intellectuals and that Aiyaz feeds Frank's paranoia, for his own purposes ?
Anonymous 4.19
There is lots of prostitution in NZ,Australia,Uk,USA,etc. Does it mean that the governments of those countries are financial illiterate? The nationalist governments of Rabuka and Qarase had created the economic malise for all it's citizen. Bainimarama government is trying to clean the mess. Fiji's forecasted economic growth for this year is far better then NZ,UK, Greece, etc. Mere Saimisoni deserves that treatment because of her past racist views.
Kamlesh Kumar, if you are really one, reveal your true identity - it is very very sad when people like you talk like this - you give a very bad name to Fiji Indians - as an Indo-Fijian, keep your nose out of Fiji and if you suffered under Rabuka, well do something but stop attacking people who are challenging the regime - if Fiji embassy in NZ was taking months for you to come to Fiji (although I know you don't need a visa) you would have been screaming the house down - shame on you, you racist pig - you could even be that arsehole Thakur Ranjit Singh - a total disgrace to Indo-Fijians with his own version of anit-taukei racism.
All supporters of c4.5 use google to search for the email addresses of all the Countries Office's of Prime Ministers and President, Vice President and even the secretary of state and Leaders who support democratically elected governments and urge them to condemn this illegal Military government.Use your web based email addresses, yahoo, gmail, hotmail...
Kamlesh kumari, go back to Fiji and see for yourself you dumbshit. It's lowlifes like you who give this illegal government credibility. By the way, only cowards speak like that from overseas. Go back to Fiji and see for yourself first hand what the situation is like. If you don't then shut hell up dumbass.
anon@4:19pm... Kumari shes doing the same in NZ for a few dollars more!
Very true.. Anonymous Aug 25, 2012, 4.19pm.
As well as the increasing numbers of Indian beggars in town....
USA/NZ AND AUSS have to do the right thing and free fiji people from the evil regime.
I am thankful of US to free country like IRAQ,LIBYA and others from evil dictators.
When will they free poor fijian nation from this evil regime.
We ask in good faith to this big countries to give us democracy.
what people are enjoying in your own country.
Frank have lied before and people dont have freedom of speech and democracy in fiji.
If you are a true champion of democracy .
pls USA help free fiji.
Fijian will be thankful of USA if you free fiji .
Frank is in bed with China and Russia.
We dont need China and Russia in fiji.
god bless.
Rajesh
Companies Act...retirement age for Directors is 75?
Retirement age for High Court judge, 75.
Civil Service 55.
Next, Kamlesh Kumar will be saying Fiji is a worker's paradise, crime free, growing at 6.6 per cent, etc.
supply some more bread.
every dog has its day...and goes around comes around...
Kamlesh kumari, a quick lesson for you since your brain cells cannot absorb much. The Maori Party was formed because they want to protect Maori culture, land, language etc. Now that's not racism isn't it? Just like the iTaukei, they have every right because they're indigenous.
Human rights. There's abuse left right and centre in Fiji, so get that into your pea brain and stop making wild accusations.
By the way kumari, hope you managed to pick up a few dollars from K'rd last night.
@Kamlesh, since when was the last time you went to Fiji??Cant say much you are just another Indian Dog barking from theprotection of your own vicinity inside your compound. Recently returning from home a month ago: Roads are horrible, you look at the face of people you can see desperation and worry, struggle and the will to live.Yet the number of new government vehicles - unbelievable. Was standing on the road when the so-called PM went pass with six escort vehicles....why so much escort???.Prices of basic things are killing our people. Our once island paradise has become a poverty stricken nation in the pacific
LABOUR WARS
August 26, 2012 | Filed under: Fiji News | Posted by: newsroom
By JYOTI PRATIBHA
Word on the street is that the Fiji Labour Party meet in the Western Division was delayed by at least half an hour because a heated debate ensured between two senior members.
Time for another split perhaps.
meli bainimarama is 80
Coup 4.5 can you bring in the Labour parrties coalition or united party thing in here please
What human rights violation is Mere Samisoni referring to? is it the human rights violations she supported in 2000?
Come on Mere, stop blaming others, it's you and your kind during the 2000 takeover were the biggest human rights abusers in town.
is this the same Mere Samisoni who aided and abetted the 2000 coup with generous supplies of hot bread to Speight and his mob?
FLP headed by bardka chor Mahen supported the coup in early days and helped Baini succeeded. henceforth FLP should be known as 'coup party' since Mahen 'butakololevu' chaudhry aided and abeted Baini and signed his leave pay for 180k and in exchange tax charges evasion against chor_dhry was dropped - a case of I masi your polo you masi mine. both chor-dhry and Baini should be tried for fraud once this regime is sent packing.
FLp will sleep with any party for votes. MPC will then handwick Sdl and run to the president to be PM. If sdl joins flp, it means that they are so short sighted as it was flp that orchestered the 2006 coup behind the curtain. Will sdl support a corrupt leader like mpc and his $million.
retired says...
Frank will keep employing his older bro Meli B @ 80 years until he shits in his pants....
so much of nepotism clean up...
Fiji sports council CEO - Franks daughter..
Fiji don't we have better people?
is this the best we have?
we have been fooled.
The so-called PM needs six escort vehicles because he's a tyrant whose days are numbered. Six will not be enough to save him from his fate.
We all waiting for USA to make a bold statement on Frank to go as it did to all dictators .
We want to see fairness and fiji liberated from the army.
Board appointments being refused by Neel Sharma ,because he does not personally like some one ,
Talking of Neel Sharma his days are numbered ,he has too many issues of corruption under his belt now ,maybe we look at 10 years in Naboro .Bai is just looking for the right man .
Hey Bloggers why we have to started accusing Mere,Chaudary,Qarase etc,etc.First and fore most our nimnber one target is the big boci Bainimarama.All this accusations and allegations have taken us away from our common enermy Bainimarama.What about we all back up thsese leaders and when everything has settle down than accuse these people through tne right channel the court of law.All we are doing here are gossiping and tearing people down like old women.Lets form a united party than we sort out all our diffrence within the frame of the law.
US won't remove Bai unless we have huge oil reserves in Fiji. We give them oil they send tomahawks to visit Bai.
Nice pause hillary,go home quickly Billy must be with Monika.
Kai Bau, for once you're talking sense.
Manning violation of human rights is whats happening in Burma-where the Ausie Gov just poured in about 173 million dollars ? Now thats food for thought about double standards! You really have your undeis in knots with your garbbage! Mere Samison ain't no ANGLE!
Don't worry about Mere Samisoni she
is as tough as they come! Anyone that can create a business in the centre of cut throat city where the
competition is always ready to cut
you up and take you down, has nothing but my respect. Cry not for
her but cry for our beloved FIJI.
At last we have a fresh pusi in attendance, i'm sure there will be lots of Meowing and scratchin before it's all said & done? Lets see if she'd learn some artistic
tech from billy the clinton kid?
Like, hey Frank you have 12 hours to dismental the military,step down,appoint a interim Government
or face a military invasion? If that happen i would like to be the
first man to kissed that woman's ass???
Anonymous you sure as hell have to worry about Mere Samisoni because you now have charges of trying to do what Speights mob did burn places in Suva & trash them at the same time. No need to know where Mere was when it happened -?Parliament! Whose bread shop was closed when the rioting took place? Certainly not mine i didn't have inside information!
@ August 26 7.47pm..Yes its the same mere samisoni but hey sorry she stood up for indeginous rights and that is not human rights abuses in my book thank you very much.
Anonymous at August 29 7:22pm, i have to suppose you set your sights of MORALITY & DECENCY very high especially when the outcome of Samisoni's support was the looting and burning and injury and death that resulted! I am all for Indigenous Rights BUT not at the expense of the injurying the innocent!Or and what about holding elected memebers of Parliamnet hostage? Do you also support that? Viri a mimi boi a da!
Hello everyone, just a piece of thought; i just want to enlighten veryone on the benefits of the COUP. Egyptian military conducted a coup recently... this is to save the country from doom... for the case of VOREQE???? THIS JUST TO SAVE HIMSELF AND HIS GOONS FROM BEING PROSECUTED..1987 Fiji Coup.. IT IS THE SAME AS EGYPT...TO SAVE THE COUNTRY. The 2000 Fiji Coup????? This is also to save the country from Power Hungary, Land Grabbing and Greedy Mahendra Chaudary.
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