Human Rights Commission concerned as police allegedly mistreat wheelchair bound woman while A/COMPOL says it will be addressed

Serious concerns are being raised by the Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Commission after a wheelchair bound woman was allegedly harassed by police officer after she was taken into custody and left in a police station.

Commission Chair Pravesh Sharma says they received a complaint of the alleged harassment in August.

It is understood the woman was wheeled to the police station and while she was at the station, she had soiled her clothes.

Sharma says the woman was in her diapers and was unassisted in using toilet facilities and after the Commission intervened, the woman was allowed to go home.

While condemning any act of violence inflicted by the law enforcement agencies on people during arrest or while in custody, Sharma says Section 11(1) of the Fijian Constitution states that every person has the right to freedom from torture of any kind, whether physical, mental or emotional, and from cruel, inhumane, degrading or disproportionately severe treatment or punishment.

He says Fiji has also ratified the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment in 2016.

The Commission has urged the police to work closely with them while dealing with vulnerable groups rather than arresting them.

While responding to questions by fijivillage News Acting Police Commissioner Juki Fong Chew has assured the Commission that the matter will be addressed.

He says issues raised on where to improve will also be communicated to the other Divisions.

Meanwhile, the Commission will be facilitating a Torture Prevention Workshop next month in Suva in collaboration with the Association for the Prevention of Torture and the Asia Pacific Forum on National Human Rights Institutions to create, amongst law enforcement agencies, awareness on torture prevention.