(PINA/IFEX) – PINA has expressed grave concern over police action to pressure Fiji TV to reveal the name of its source in the case of an alleged leaked police statement central to the 2000 coup investigations. The files relating to the investigation later mysteriously disappeared. On the afternoon of 20 April 2005, officers from the […]
(PINA/IFEX) – PINA has expressed grave concern over police action to pressure Fiji TV to reveal the name of its source in the case of an alleged leaked police statement central to the 2000 coup investigations. The files relating to the investigation later mysteriously disappeared.
On the afternoon of 20 April 2005, officers from the police’s Serious Fraud Unit served a search warrant on Fiji TV to obtain the police statement of Lieutenant-Colonel Viliame Seruvakula, which was made during the 2000 coup investigations. Despite pressure, Fiji TV remained adamant that it would protect its source.
Speaking from Apia (Samoa), PINA President Lance Polu called the police action “heavy-handed and unnecessary”, saying it breached journalistic rights to protect confidential sources. Polu supports Fiji TV’s stand in protecting its source and encourages the station to stand by the media’s ethical standards.
