Fiji's director of public prosecutions says no one in Fiji risks being charged with sedition for voicing dissent.
Christopher Pryde was responding to an RNZ Pacific article which said that MPs in Fiji were in danger of being charged with sedition for expressing dissent.
Mr Pryde said it was not the first time that RNZ and other media organisations had stated that Fiji's sedition law was being used to stifle political debate.
He said it was vitally important, especially in an election year, that all political parties, politicians and participants in the political process understood that no criminal proceedings would be instituted against any individual or organisation for engaging in legitimate political discussion.
Mr Pryde said a decision as to whether a breach of the law had been made was carefully analysed by lawyers in his office with full regard to the rights and freedoms guaranteed to all people under the Fijian Constitution.
He said a final decision on whether a charge would be laid in the courts was made by the Director of Public Prosecutions and no one else.
"As Director of Public Prosecutions, I can state assuredly that no person or organisation will be prosecuted merely for voicing political dissent or for engaging in robust political debate or for expressing legitimate criticisms of the government, all of which are hallmarks of a constitutional democracy," he said.
A statue of the Fiji statesman Ratu Sir Lala Sukuna stands guard outside Fiji's government buildings, Suva Photo: RNZI/Sally Round