Prominent Fijian lawyer and political party member Richard Naidu has been found guilty of contempt and scandalising the court.
Earlier this year in February Mr Naidu posted on Facebook pointing out a spelling error in a judgement of the Fiji High Court.
A few months later Fiji’s Attorney-General Aiyaz Sayed Khayum initiated Contempt of Court charges claiming the post was malicious and invited others to mock the judiciary.
Richard Naidu’s supporters and human rights organisations say his prosecution is a violation of the right to freedom of expression.
Kate Schuetze, Amnesty International Pacific Researcher, called on Mr Khayum to withdraw the conviction.
“Our main concern here is the right to freedom of expression includes the right to be critical, and judges aren’t above that,” she said.
“It’s really unfortunate that in this case, we could see a prominent lawyer, potentially go to jail over highlighting a spelling mistake, which was made by the courts in the first place.”
Ms Schuetze said the case highlighted the tense political environment in Fiji, and how that was leading to the suppression of rights.
“We’ve seen this pattern within Fiji, if people step over an invisible line in terms of criticising government, individuals or government policy, they get charged under various laws,” she said.
Mr Naidu’s sentencing is set for January next year where he could face the penalty of a fine or imprisonment.
Source: ABC Pacific