Fiji Censors Press Freedom
483 views · Published 17 April 2009 · 0:43 · Indexed 20 September 2026
Channel: United Nations · 2009 · News & Politics
United Nations, 17 April 2009 - Daily Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General. UNESCO today expressed its grave concern about the suspension of press freedom in Fiji under thirty-day Public Emergency Regulations that recently came into force. UNESCO says that under these new regulations, editors are not allowed to publish or broadcast any material that shows the military in an unfavorable light. Sensitive stories must be approved by government officials before publication and media organizations ignoring these directives may be shut down. Such measures will not promote a solution to the nations social and political problems, said UNESCO Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura. He urged authorities to allow open debate—stressing that freedom of the press is essential to democracy, good governance and rule of law.
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