VANUATU – The Supreme Court in Vanuatu has sentenced four men to prison after finding them guilty of assaulting and kidnapping a woman who had criticised the behaviour of tourist transport providers in Port Vila on Facebook.

Pierre Noel has been sentenced to two years imprisonment for kidnapping and nine months for assault.

Ben Koro, Glen Kovoi and Michael Samuel have received one year and nine months each for the same charges.

In March, Florence Lengkon was forcefully removed from her office and beaten.

She had earlier criticised the aggressive behaviour of some bus and taxi drivers on Facebook after they had thrown stones at another rival bus carrying tourists.

The drivers compete to carry tourists from visiting cruiseliners from Port Vila’s overseas wharf.

Lengkon told the Daily Post Newspaper that she felt the sentencing could have been more severe but she is just happy it is all over.

“I wouldn’t say I am happy– I am just relieved. Basically I can move on with my life and I hope that a lot of women will hear my story and come out and seek help and together we can all fight domestic violence.”

She said she still feels afraid but with the help of counselling is now able to go out in public with someone to accompany her.

She said she still cannot bring herself to express her personal opinions or say anything critical on Facebook and says this is an ongoing personal frustration for her. - PNC sources

Police seek to improve interview protocols

FIJI – Pilot projects to improve access to justice for police suspects will start in Fiji in November as the Pacific nation looks to bring about change in its police culture.

It comes as Fiji seeks to persuade the international community it is clamping down on police brutality following a series of much-publicised cases.

The new measures will include the video recording of people statements to police and providing every suspect with legal counsel within one hour of arrest.

The government said the initiatives were aimed at “greater transparency and professionalism” in obtaining police statements.

As part of the initiative, in recent weeks a team of Fiji police have attended training in Britain on the video recording of statements.

Fiji recently discussed its efforts to improve police procedures at the United Nations in Geneva.

Last month it co-hosted a side event at the Human Rights Council with the Association for the Prevention of Torture.

Director of Public Prosecutions Christopher Pryde told that meeting Fiji had already begun the process of changing police culture but he said there was a long way to go.

“We experience difficulties on a daily basis in the criminal justice system that come from arrests that are made improperly, detentions that are unjustified, or interviews that are conducted without due process and are oppressive,” he said.

“Another difficulty is the caution given to arrested persons in police custody.

“Although advised that they do not have to say anything and, under Fiji’s law no adverse inference may be drawn by the court, suspects frequently waive their right to silence.”

Pryde said Fiji’s progress with policing had not always been consistent and sometimes took a step back like many jurisdictions trying to implement profound change.

In a veiled criticism of countries and human rights organisations, which have kept the spotlight on security force brutality in Fiji, he said Fiji needed to be seen in its own context as a small island developing country.

“We are interested in working with countries and organisations that look to the long term with Fiji and not jump ship whenever a setback occurs which, alas, has occurred in the past,” he said.

“We need the support of the international community in order to build on the progress already made and to entrench a new police culture that balances respect for individual human rights with the legitimate concerns of victims of crime and the general public.” - RNZI