In December 2006, the commander of the Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF), Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama, overthrew the Laisenia Qarase-led multiparty government by claiming to invoke the ‘doctrine of necessity’. He defended his actions by citing legal precedent that supported his ‘clean-up campaign’ to eliminate corruption and racism in government. This chapter discusses the impact of Fiji’s 2006 coup on human and women’s rights.
This is a chapter in the book edited by Jon Fraenkel, Stewart Firth and Brij V. Lal (2009), ‘The 2006 Military Takeover in Fiji: A coup to end all coups?’, ANU Press.