‘No directive was given to stop the media’

Listen to this article:

Police Commissioner Brigadier General Sitiveni Qiliho with other police offi cers outside the High Court in Suva during the court case of petition against the 2018 General Election results yesterday. Picture: RAMA

MEDIA representatives were stopped by police from entering the Court of Disputed Returns while trying to cover the three election petition cases called yesterday.

Shortly before yesterday’s 10am hearing, a police officer told media representatives that there was a directive preventing the media from attending the court case.

Journalists told the officer they knew of no such directive, but the officers continued to bar them from entering the courtroom.

Police later allowed journalists to enter the courtroom.

Police Commissioner Brigadier General Sitiveni Qiliho clarified that no directive was given to stop the media from entering the court.

“I gave the directive to the director operations to let the media in,” Brig-Gen Qiliho said yesterday.

“We must give priority to the respondents, petitioners and the media,” said Brig-Gen Qiliho.

“If there was space, we would have let the supporters in, but the courthouse was too small.”

Police were present in force at the Government Buildings in Suva yesterday, cordoning off the complex and limiting access to the courtroom.

Array
(
    [post_type] => post
    [post_status] => publish
    [orderby] => date
    [order] => DESC
    [update_post_term_cache] => 
    [update_post_meta_cache] => 
    [cache_results] => 
    [category__in] => 1
    [posts_per_page] => 4
    [offset] => 0
    [no_found_rows] => 1
    [date_query] => Array
        (
            [0] => Array
                (
                    [after] => Array
                        (
                            [year] => 2023
                            [month] => 12
                            [day] => 19
                        )

                    [inclusive] => 1
                )

        )

)