Angenette (Angie) Heffernan is a Fijian human rights and democracy activist and executive director of the Pacific Centre for Public Integrity (PCPI). Prior to PCPI she was a prominent regional environmental political campaigner for Greenpeace Australia for eight years. She established the Pacific Centre for Public Integrity with Suliana Siwatibau and social justice campaigner Aisake Casimira to combat perceived corruption and bad governance in the Pacific region, She is known for her strong stance against political and state corruption and recently for her outspoken opposition to the coup d'état carried out by the Republic of Fiji Military Forces on 5 December 2006.
On 15 December 2006, Heffernan strongly criticized Fiji Human Rights Commission (FHRC) Director Shaista Shameem for failing to oppose the coup and human rights violations allegedly committed by the country's military rulers. On 28 December, she called on Shameem to resign, claiming that the FHRC had done nothing to help six activists who claimed to have been detained and assaulted at Suva's Queen Elizabeth Barracks in the early hours of 25 December. On 4 January 2007, Heffernan condemned a report written by Shameem excusing the Military for overthrowing a government that was "illegally constituted."
Heffernan also voiced fears that the country could be slipping into dictatorship, the Fiji Times reported on 16 December.
On 20 December, she spoke out against granting immunity to Military officers and soldiers, saying it would set a dangerous precedent that would legitimize Military coups. On 21 January, she criticized President Ratu Josefa Iloilo for granting immunity to the Military Commander, Commodore Frank Bainimarama and all others associated with the coup and with the interim government formed in early January, saying that the President had acted unconstitutionally, the Fiji Sun quoted her as saying.
Heffernan also condemned the suspension of Chief Justice Daniel Fatiaki and the appointment of Anthony Gates as Acting Chief Justice, saying it had brought disgrace and dishonour to the judiciary. "We do not recognise the appointment of (acting CJ) Anthony Gates, we are very disappointed at his decision to accept a shoddy and illegal appointment given his unblemished professional record," she said
On 24 January 2007, Heffernan announced that threats from the Military had led to the closure of the PCPI office for one week. The next day, Suliana Siwatibau, the PCPI chairperson, said that Heffernan had been threatened and that the Military was looking for her, which Land Force Commander Colonel Pita Driti confirmed. Heffernan and fellow-activist Laisa Digitaki had been making "inciteful" comments, he claimed. Later that day, Heffernan said she feared for her life and that of her three children, and had gone into hiding.
The police announced on 28 January that they had begun an investigation into Heffernan and Digitaki on the basis of a formal complaint from the Military.
Heffernan was arrested by soldiers in civilian clothes at a Sigatoka hotel on 30 January. [1] Apprehended at the same hotel was another government critic, Tupou Draunidalo, vice-president of the Fiji Law Society. Both women were taken in for interrogation by the Military and police. Police Director of Uniform Operations Jair Khan said that Heffernan could be charged with breaching the Public Order Act.
Sitiveni Ligamamada Rabuka, OBE, MSD, OStJ, is a Fijian politician best known as the instigator of two military coups in 1987. He was later democratically elected as Prime Minister of Fiji, serving from 1992 to 1999. He went on to serve as Chairman of the Great Council of Chiefs, and later served as Chairman of the Cakaudrove Provincial Council from 2001 to 2008. He was elected to this position on 24 May 2001 and re-elected for another three-year term on 13 April 2005.
Taniela (Daniel) Vafo'ou Fatiaki CF was the Chief Justice of Fiji from 1 August 2002, when he succeeded Sir Timoci Tuivaga, till 5 December 2008. As Chief Justice, he presided over both the High Court and the Supreme Court, but was constitutionally barred from presiding over, or even sitting on, the Appeal Court. On 3 January 2007, he was sent on leave by the Republic of Fiji Military Forces, which had seized power on 5 December 2006. On 19 January, he was formally suspended, pending an investigation into allegations of misconduct. This investigation was dropped in December 2008 as part of a deal that involved his formal resignation.
Graham Everett Leung is a Fijian lawyer and former president of the Fiji Law Society. He was also chairman of the Electoral Commission, and was named as judge advocate of a Court Martial panel to retry 20 soldiers convicted mutiny in relation to the Fiji coup of 2000, but a number of complications left his commissioning in that office outstanding until he was finally approved as judge advocate and commissioned as an army officer with the rank of lieutenant colonel on 4 January 2006.
In the early 2000s, Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase's government proposed legislation to establish a Commission with the power, subject to presidential approval, to pardon perpetrators and compensate victims of the coup d'état against the elected government of Mahendra Chaudhry in 2000. Most Fijian politicians outside of the government came out against proposed legislation Along with many politicians, the Military and a number of business and professional organizations also came out against the bill. The campaign derived its name from the yellow ribbons promoted by the opposition United Peoples Party and worn by many citizens, as a sign of their opposition to the legislation.
The Reconciliation and Unity Commission was a proposed government body to be set up if the Reconciliation, Tolerance, and Unity Bill, which was introduced into the Fijian Parliament on 4 May 2005 was passed. The legislation proposed to empower the Commission to grant amnesty to perpetrators of the Fiji coup of 2000, and compensation to victims of it from 19 May 2000 through 15 March 2001. The Fijian President would retain a veto over the granting of amnesty.
The Fiji Law Society is the official body that registers and regulates the activity of all lawyers in Fiji. Historically, the President of the Fiji Law Society was a member ex officio of the Judicial Service Commission.
The crisis that saw a virtual breakdown in relations between Fiji's government and military forces in late 2005 and early 2006, generated fears of civil unrest and even a military coup. The dismissing of Lieutenant Colonel Jone Baledrokadroka, the Acting Land Force Commander, for alleged insubordination on 12 January 2006 was coupled with unusual deployments of troops and naval vessels. Both before and after it was resolved on 16 January with a truce brokered by Acting President Ratu Joni Madraiwiwi, the crisis generated a great deal of comment.
The Fijian coup d'état of December 2006 was a coup d'état carried out by Commodore Frank Bainimarama, Commander of the Republic of Fiji Military Forces, against the government of President Josefa Iloilo. Iloilo was removed as president, but he was later reinstated by Bainimarama on 4 January 2007. The coup occurred as a continuation of the pressure which had been building since the military unrest of the 2000 Fijian coup d'état and 2005–06 Fijian political crisis.
Virisila Buadromo is a Fijian political activist and former journalist, who was the executive director of the Fiji Women's Rights Movement (FWRM) from 2001 to 2015. She used to be the news director for FM96.
Richard Naidu is a Fijian lawyer of Indian descent. A partner with the Munro Leys law firm, he was an unsuccessful candidate for the Presidency of the Fiji Law Society on 9 September 2006.
Imraz Iqbal Ali is a Fijian businessman, political activist, and former Television journalist, of Indian descent. He does not normally use his last name, except for legal purposes. Together with Laisa Digitaki, he is the co-owner of a magazine, Fiji Living, based in Digitaki's home in the Lami suburb of Vugalei. Iqbal also hosted a popular Fiji Diving adventure show during his Television Career.
Laisa Digitaki is a Fijian businesswoman, originally from Moala Island in the Lau Archipelago.
Shaista Shameem, a Fijian lawyer, the director of the Fiji Human Rights Commission (FHRC) from 2002 to 2007, and its director and chairperson from 2007 to 2009. A graduate of the University of the South Pacific, she holds a PhD in Sociology from the University of Waikato and a Masters in Law from the University of Auckland. She also holds a Doctorate in Juridical Science.
Nazhat Shameem is a Fijian diplomat and former judge serving as the Permanent Representative of Fiji to the United Nations since 2014. She was also the President of the United Nations Human Rights Council in 2021.
The Fiji Human Rights Commission (FHRC) was created by presidential decree in 2009, succeeding the entity of the same name established as an independent statutory body under the 1997 Constitution of the Republic of the Fiji Islands.
Shamima Ali is a Fijian political activist of Indian descent. As of July 2015, she is the Coordinator of the Fiji Women's Crisis Centre (FWCC), a post she has held for many years. She has also been a member of the Fiji Human Rights Commission (FHRC).
Rodney Acraman was Fiji's Acting Ombudsman and thus the ex officio Chairperson of the Fiji Human Rights Commission from 2006 to 2007, when he was replaced by Shaista Shameem. The Military administration, which took power in a coup d'état on 5 December 2006, appointed him to the Ombudsman's position on 13 December. The position had been vacant since Walter Rigamoto had resigned earlier in the year to resume his private law practice.
Suliana Siwatibau is a former Fijian political activist, who served as the Chairperson of the Pacific Centre for Public Integrity (PCPI) as of January 2007. She has also chaired the Coalition for Democracy and Peace.
Violence against women in Fiji is recognised to be "pervasive, widespread and a serious national issue" in the Pacific Island region. Fiji's rates of violence against women are "among the very highest in the world". The Fiji Women's Crisis Centre reports that 64% of women who have been in intimate relationships have experienced physical or sexual violence from their partner, including 61% who were physically attacked and 34% who were sexually abused.