Pacific Freedom Forum (PFF)

Reports that a market seller in Fiji was hospitalised after being arrested for making comments about the country’s military regime are disturbing, says the Pacific Freedom Forum.

The resignation of Fiji TV’s sports commentator Satish Narain followed an ultimatum from the prime minister to the station’s management that they had to choose between keeping Narain on staff, or losing their broadcast licence.

The Samoan speaker of parliament called on media to stop interviewing members of parliament outside the house and rely solely on official records; he warned that reporters could be charged under 1960 laws that carry a maximum sentence of six months in prison, a $100 fine, or both.

The government should allow Nauru Broadcasting Service to fully report politics leading up to the 8 June 2013 general elections, says the Pacific Freedom Forum.

Failing to intervene in a minor assault on reporters and smashing the phone of a young boy shows police in Samoa need training in freedoms enjoyed by all citizens, says the Pacific Freedom Forum.

The Pacific Freedom Forum is welcoming publication of a speech from a Fiji professor stopped from presenting at the University of the South Pacific on World Press Freedom Day.

Charges of terrorism laid and dropped against a journalist in Vanuatu who was held for 30 hours over a Facebook comment need independent investigation, states the Pacific Freedom Forum.

Shooting peaceful protesters in West Papua and arresting a radio host for comments made on a talkback show are clear attacks on human rights by Indonesia, says the Pacific Freedom Forum.