ICJ urges Fijian Parliament to ensure unity bill complies with international law

Asia
Issue: Civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights
Document Type: Legal Submission
Date: 2005

The ICJ today presented to the Parliament of Fiji a legal submission on the proposed Promotion of Reconciliation, Tolerance and Unity Bill 2005.

In a legal submission presented to Parliament the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) today urged the Parliament of Fiji to ensure that provisions for amnesty for gross human rights violations and for serious crimes in the proposed Promotion of Reconciliation, Tolerance and Unity Bill do not violate Fiji’s international obligations. Fiji has an obligation under customary international law to effectively investigate the facts, to prosecute those responsible for the violations or crimes and to punish them appropriately.

The ICJ also called on the Parliament to ensure that victims of human rights violations are guaranteed reparation and that victims of crime have access to justice and assistance from the state. The ICJ recommends that the Unity Bill should specifically define victims as not only the direct victims but also indirect victims, who have suffered physical, material or mental harm as a consequence of a human rights violation or a crime.

Fiji-unity bill international law-press release-2005 (full text in English, PDF)

Fiji-promotion unity bill-legal submission-2005 (full text in English, PDF)

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