Fiji's military government has recommended to the High Court sentence to the editor and publisher of Fiji Times to jail. Last week, the newspaper printed a front page apology and admitted that it was in contempt, for publishing a letter critical of the High Court Panel, which made a judgment that the 2006 coup was legal.
On Monday, Fiji's Solicitor-General told Justice Thomas Hickie that the office of the interim Attorney-General, Aiyaz Sayed-Khiayum , was not happy with the wording of the apology. Sayed-Khiayum has asked the court to consider jail terms for editor-in-chief Netani Rika and Australian-born publisher, Rex Gardner. The case has been adjourned till mid-December.
Fiji is run by a military appointed government following Commodore Voreqe Bainimamara's December 2006 coup.
Some background from a Fairfax Media report: [Link]
On October 22 the newspaper published a letter from one "Vili Navukitu" from Australia saying that court decision represented a "dark day in the annals of Fiji's judiciary" and said the judges involved had been "totally biased, corrupt and self preserving".
It made other claims about the judiciary but after military appointed Attorney General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum protested, the Fiji Times, last Wednesday ran an apology headlined "We're in contempt". It said the newspaper accepted that while critical comments could be made on court judgments there were limits.
