Minister: Respect rule of law in Vakarisi case

Minister for Information Lynda Tabuya has urged restraint following the death of Jone Vakarisi, noting that due process applies to all, regardless of past actions.

Some members of the public had reportedly welcomed Mr Vakarisi's death, pointing to his alleged criminal background. Ms Tabuya said that thinking was dangerous. 

"No one should be able to take the law into their own hands. We must conform to the rule of law as a people." 

She explained that anyone taken in for questioning was protected under what are known as the judge's rules – legal safeguards requiring fair treatment, no excessive force, and appearance before a court within a set timeframe. 

"Every person has a right to be heard. They must be treated fairly." 

Ms Tabuya warned that abandoning due process had consequences for all of society. 

"The opposite of that is chaos. We cannot have chaos or anarchy. That's how a society survives together. That's how we are safer and how we are protected." 

She said the lesson from this case must be clear. 

"No one is above the law. Only with the rule of law do we have order." 

Meanwhile, the Fiji Law Society (FLS) expressed “grave concern” over the reported death of Mr Vakarisi while under the control of the military.  

FLS emphasised that any death in custody is a matter of “the utmost seriousness,” raising immediate constitutional questions about state responsibility.  

The organisation demands a “prompt, independent, impartial and effective investigation.”