The Fijian government has acknowledged there have been incidences of torture by police officers, at a recent United Nations Human Rights meeting in Geneva.

Minister for Justice Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum led a delegation to the Universal Periodic Review where the state presented its report on the progress of human rights issues.

Part of the delegation was Media Industry Development Authority Chair, Ashwin Raj – who says the UN has been clearly informed that the State does not endorse any form of abuse, and all cases of alleged police brutality are being investigated.

“In 2012 the Police introduced a pilot scheme for videotaping of police interviews. This is an important step to ensure greater transparency and fairness in all these police procedures. The Police Act is going to be reviewed in 2015 which will ensure there’s strict custody in police stations better guidelines for taking interviews.”

There are also plans to introduce video recordings of all police interviews and to provide further training to policemen and women on proper conduct.

Fiji’s next assessment at the Universal Periodic Review is 4 years from now.