The Fiji Times, which has been publishing since 1869, has been shut down.
Fiji's biggest circulating daily newspaper and the oldest in the country, closed its doors Tuesday night after threats from the Fijian military which overthrew the Fijian government on Tuesday.
The newspaper is one of the most respected publications in the South Pacific and has been a beacon of freedom and democracy, particularly during the country's three previous coups. In 1987 when Major-General Sitiveni Ligamamada Rabuka launched the first military coup, the newspaper defied the renegades who attempted to censor it. In protest, the newspaper published an edition with large blank spaces, where articles censored by the military had been placed.
Managing Director Tony Yianni and Editor Samisoni Kakaivalu were visited by the military at 7:30 Tuesday night and told they could not publish anything from the 'deposed' government.
The Army representatives said they would not tolerate the newspaper publishing any views that opposed those of the Army. Officers said the Army would instead close the newspaper.
Mr Yianni then ordered the newspaper closed himself.
Yianni said the military's demands breached the Constitution of Fiji, which specifically protects freedom of speech.
He said the demands also breached the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
'We were ordered to breach the Constitution and not publish any dissenting views that may be sent to us by free citizens, as well as the views of legally elected members of the Qarase government.
'If we do not have the freedom to publish with responsibility, then we do not publish.'
'We would never and have never published anything that would incite people to do wrongdoing.'
'The Bill of Rights is for everybody and not just for the Army.'
Kakaivalu said he refused to edit any newspaper in which content had been altered or censored in any way by external forces.
'I, and my staff, refuse to work for any publication under these conditions. This is no longer journalism, but propaganda, exactly the effect the Army says it is trying to prevent.'
Mr Yianni said the company would protect its staff, and not allow them to be intimidated by external forces.
'I think the military needs to remember an age-old truism in a battle between guns and pens, pens always win.'
Elsewhere, the second major Fijian newspaper, the Fiji Daily Post, was also closed after staff received a call from the military saying, "We're coming to get you."
