Perpetrators are entitled to their human rights regardless of crime committed, says Justice Mohammed Ajmeer.

Justice Ajmeer accompanied the Fiji Human Rights Commission’s surprise visit to the Lautoka Police Station yesterday.

“It is a surprise visit. We could not give any notice to them. We are empowered to do this in a public institution, but also in private institutions,” Justice Ajmeer said.

“We have started our fact-finding mission. We are closely observing the human rights situation in Fiji as mandated by the Constitution, “he said.

“Today (yesterday), we come to the Lautoka Police Station and have observed a few things that need to be improved. The accused have made allegations regarding their detention and how their cells were maintained,” he said.

“Sometimes they are not allowed to visit the restroom. One of the accused complained to us saying that he was allowed time to urinate and had to do it in a bottle.”

He said the officers had confirmed they would resolve this issue and the team would monitor the progress.

“We need to develop the human rights culture in Fiji and some officers do not know about the basic rights guaranteed under the Constitution. One of our mandates is to create human rights culture in Fiji,” he said.

The team also visited the Lautoka Corrections Centre and the Lautoka Hospital as part of their fact-finding visit.

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