FijiFirst Member of Parliament Vil­iame Naupoto on Tuesday claimed that the Fiji Police Force under the Coalition government breached the United Nations Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (UNCAT) in the case of FijiFirst Gener­al-Secretary Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum.

Mr Naupoto in a statement last night claimed that the government was us­ing illegal and inhumane tactics to degrade, shame, torture, and per­secute their political opponents, and these have been banned via UNCAT.

He said Mr Sayed-Khaiyum was unnecessarily paraded around in handcuffs.

“Did the police believe there was a risk of him escaping? An investigation and explanation are war­ranted,” Mr Naupoto questioned.

“Political persecution is a grave threat to the democratic fabric of any society.

“When opposition members are un­fairly targeted and arrested for their political views, it not only violates their fundamental rights but also un­dermines the principles of justice, fair­ness, and democracy.

“The use of police to parade oppo­sition politicians in handcuffs only serves to further humiliate and intimi­date them, and it violates human rights conventions that protect the dignity of all individuals.”

He added that the opposition were also concerned about the possible racist na­ture of this incident.

Questions were sent to Police last night.

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Story By: inoke.rabonu@fijisun.com.fj