A global civil society watchdog has condemned Fiji for blocking protest marches over the Palestine genocide by Israel and clamping down on a regional Pacific university demonstration with threats.

However, while the Civicus Monitor rates the state of civic space in Fiji as “obstructed” it has acknowledged the country for making some progress over human rights.

“While the government took steps in 2023 to repeal a restrictive media law and reversed travel bans on critics, the Public Order (Amendment) Act, which has been used to restrict peaceful assembly and expression and sedition provisions in the Crimes Act, remains in place,” said the Civicus Monitor in a statement on its website.

• READ MORE: Other reports on Fiji human rights

“The police have also restricted pro-Palestinian marches” — planned protests against Israel’s genocide against Gaza in which more than 44,000 people have been killed, mostly women and children.

The monitor said the Fiji government had “continued to take steps to address human rights issues in Fiji”.

In July 2024, it was reported that the Fiji Corrections Service had signed an agreement with the Fiji Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Commission to provide them access to monitor inmates in prison facilities.

In August 2024, a task force known as Fiji’s National Mechanism for Implementation, Reporting, and Follow-up (NMIRF) was launched by the Attorney-General Graham Leung.

The establishment of the human rights task force is to coordinate Fiji’s engagement with international human rights bodies, including the UN human tights treaty bodies, the Universal Periodic Review and the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council.

In September 2024, it was announced that a Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) would be established to investigate and address human rights violations since 1987.

TRC steering committee chair and Assistant Minister for Women Sashi Kiran said that they were working on drafting a piece of legislation on this and that the commission would operate independently from the government.

“In recent months, the police once again blocked an application by civil society groups to hold a march for Palestine, while university unions were threatened with a pay dock for their involvement in a strike,” the Civicus Monitor said.

Police deny Palestine solidarity march
“The authorities have continued to restrict the right to peaceful assembly, particularly around Palestine.”

On 7 October 2024, the police denied permission for a march in the capital Suva by the NGO Coalition on Human Rights in Fiji.

“The march was intended to express solidarity with the Palestinian people amidst the ongoing genocide and humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The coalition’s application to hold the march was met with repeated delays and questioning by government authorities,” said the Civicus Monitor.

“The coalition said that this was ‘reminiscent of a dictatorial system of the past’.

The coalition added: “It is shameful that the Fiji Coalition Government which has lauded itself internationally and regionally as being a promoter of human rights and peace has continued to curtail the rights of its citizens by denying permit applications calling for an end to the genocide in Gaza.”

Activists also pointed out the double standards by the police, as permits were provided to a group in support of Israel to march through Suva and wave the Israeli flag, said the Civicus Monitor.

Today, a group was given a permit to march through Suva in support of Israel + wave Israeli flag but Fijians calling for an end to #GazaGenocide for 1 year gathered @ the FWCC compound due to ongoing arbitrary restrictions on marches on #GazaGenocide & the use of Palestine flags pic.twitter.com/hOvG5y8Bwj

— Fiji Women (@CommsFWCC) October 17, 2024

“The restriction around protests on Palestine and waving the Palestinian flag has persisted for over a year.

“As previously documented, the activists have had to hold their solidarity gatherings in the premises of the FWCC office as the police have restricted solidarity marches, under the Public Order (Amendment) Act 2014.

“The law allows the government to refuse permits for any public meeting or march deemed to prejudice the maintenance of peace or good order.

“It has often been misused by the authorities to restrict or block peaceful gatherings and demonstrations, restricting the right to peaceful assembly and association.

“Protest gatherings at FWCC have also faced intimidation.”

The UN Human Rights Council and human rights groups have called for the repeal of restrictive provisions in the law, including the requirement for a police permit for protests, which is inconsistent with international standards.

These restrictions on solidarity marches for Palestine are inconsistent with Fiji’s international human rights obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) which guarantees freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.

These actions also contravene Fiji’s constitution that guarantees these rights.

University threatens union members
In October 2024, members of the Association of the University of the South Pacific (USP) and the University of the South Pacific Staff Union who went on strike were reportedly threatened by the university, reported the Civicus Monitor.

The human resource office said they would not be paid if they were not in office during the strike.

The unions commenced strike action on 18 October 2024 in protest against the alleged poor governance and leadership at the university by vice-chancellor Pal Ahluwalia and the termination of former staff union (AUSPS) president Dr Tamara Osborne Naikatini, calling for her to be reinstated.

“The unions expressed dissatisfaction following the recent release of the Special Council meeting outcome, which they say misleadingly framed serious grievances as mere human resource issues to be investigated rather than investigating [Professor] Ahluwalia.

“The unions say they have been raising concerns for months and called for Ahluwalia to be suspended and for a timely investigation.”

Alongside the staff members currently standing in protest were also several groups of students.

On 24 October 2024, the students led a march at the University of the South Pacific Laucala campus that ended in front of the vice-chancellor’s residence. The students claimed that Professor Ahluwalia did not consider the best interests of the students and called for his replacement.

The USP is owned by 12 Pacific nations, which contribute a total 20 percent of its annual income, and with campuses in all the member island states.

In Fiji, the number of reported domestic violence cases has increased. Police say in the first quarter of this year, it registered 951 which is 13 percent more than in the same period last year.

A Fijian women’s group believes the reported abuse is only “the tip of the iceberg”.

Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre co-ordinator Shamima Ali says the higher number of domestic violence reports is a good thing, as more women are choosing to speak out.

SHAMIMA ALI: “The more reporting there will be, the more it can act as a deterrent to potential wife beaters and perpetrators and so on, and it also encourages other women and girls to report when they see higher rates of reporting. So that is the positive side of it.”

However Shamima Ali believes only 15 percent of abused women approach the police. She says even if women want to speak out, they are often pressured to keep quiet.

SHAMIMA ALI: “Domestic violence is seen so much as the norm, and if you look at the domestic survey 58 percent of women said no one should interfere when a husband beats up his wife.”

However, Ali believes more women are reporting abuse because police are better at responding to domestic violence. Police spokesperson Atunaisa Sokomuri says the force has been working with the community to raise awareness and encourage women to report abuse.

ATUNAISA SOKOMURI: “Now the members of public have more confidence in the police department and report on sexual offenders cases and sexual abuse cases.”

Menka Goundan from the Fiji Women’s Rights Movement says she believes Cyclone Winston has caused the recent increase of reports. Goundan says cyclone relief workers encourage women in remote areas to contact police if they are being abused.

MENKA GOUNDAN: “Now there is a lot of NGOs, aid workers, even cluster groupings that are going in to talk to people, which has definitely led to the rise in reported cases.”

Menka Goundan says women are also more likely to report abuse during disasters as the fear of losing a place to stay, which normally deters them from speaking out, has already happened.

MENKA GOUNDAN: “With the displacement they are already insecure and more vulnerable so when these things happen they don’t have to worry about that security aspect because it’s already lost and they are already in a vulnerable state.”

The executive director of Fiji Women’s Rights Movement Tara Chetty says domestic violence usually increases during disasters. However she says it is difficult to tell whether Winston has directly caused the recent spike.

TARA CHETTY: “I think what it points to is the need to really analyse the figures that we come across. To have a look at geographical spread – where are they being reported. So that would give us a better sign of whether it’s in cyclone effected areas or not.”

Tara Chetty says abuse is rife even when there is no emergency.

TARA CHETTY: “This extremely high level of violence against women and girls and gender based violence is just unacceptable. You know, the Pacific is a world leader in gender based violence and that’s just not the kind of world leader that we want to be.”

Tara Chetty believes abuse will only decrease when Fijian culture changes.

Julie Cleaver reported this story for Dateline Pacific while on internship with Radio New Zealand International.