By Sarah E. Treptow
Impunity Watch Reporter, Oceania
Image Courtesy of Fiji Times
SUVA, Fiji – Rex Gardner, Fiji Times publisher and acting CEO, was declared a prohibited immigrant this week and was ordered out of the country by the interim Government. The deportation follows a High Court ruling last week in which the newspaper was found in contempt of court and fined for publishing a letter criticizing the court’s validation of the 2006 military coup. Mr. Gardner is the third newspaper publisher to be deported from Fiji in less than a year. He was given his Removal Order at his office which was signed on Friday by the permanent secretary for Defense, National Security and Immigration, Peniame Naqasima. Mr. Gardner was scheduled to meet Immigration officers yesterday afternoon but they failed to show up to the meeting. He was classified as a prohibited immigrant under section 13(2)g of the Immigration Act of 2003, a clause of the act he called “obscure.”
Mr. Gardner is being deported eight months after his predecessor was also ordered out of Fiji. In May Australian publisher Evan Hannah was deported amid claims he was a security threat. In February of last year Russell Hunter of the Fiji Sun newspaper was deported following the publication of a series of controversial articles.
Immigration Director, Viliame Naupoto, confirmed Mr. Gardner will fly out of Fiji on Tuesday morning. “It is because of his guilty plea on contempt of court,” said Mr. Naupoto. The Immigration Director claimed the guilty plea put him in breach of his work permit and that the action is consistent with other foreign nationals that were deported.
Pacific Media Freedom Forum says the deportation is despicable and unacceptable. Online co-chair, Monica Miller, criticized the move, saying that working in the Fiji media has become increasingly difficult due to the lack of media freedom.
Fiji Law Society president, Dorsami Naidu, said the action by the interim Government marked a sad day for democracy in Fiji. Mr. Naidu said that if a person breaches his work permit there are processes to be followed allowing that person to present their case in court. He continued, “This is a draconian way of doing things where the order is given in the evening when the courts are closed.”
For more information, please see:
Radio New Zealand International – Pacific journalist group says deportation of second Fiji Times publisher is despicable – 26 January 2009
The West Australian – Fiji Times publisher to be deported – 26 January 2009
Fiji Times – Deported – 27 January 2009
Fiji Times – A nation’s prayer – 27 January 2009
Fiji Times – Major setback, says FABC – 27 January 2009
