Pacific

Fiji police arrests not the end - Amnesty

07:38 am on 13 February 2015

Amnesty International says manslaughter charges laid against eight police officers in Fiji doesn't necessarily mean that justice will be served.

The Director of Public Prosecutions on Wednesday announced that eight officers and a soldier have been charged with manslaughter and rape in relation to the death of Vilikesa Soko in police custody last year.

But Amnesty's Pacific Researcher, Kate Schuetze, says while the arrests are a positive development, history shows there is a long way to go to ensure justice is done.

"What we saw in 2009 in a similar case where eight military officers and one police officer was charged with the death of a 19-year-old was that the Minister of Justice released them on compulsory supervision orders into the public around three weeks after they were sentenced by the courts, and we would definitely see that within interference of due process."

Kate Schuetze says a number of abuse cases in Fiji haven't been investigated.