The University of the South Pacific (USP) Vice Chancellor on Thursday gave students insights on human rights and used his deportation from Fiji early last year as an example of human rights abuse.

Giving the keynote address at a workshop at the USP Samoa Campus that looked at human rights data interpretation, the university’s Vice Chancellor and President, Professor Pal Ahluwalia said it is important to talk about human rights and often in the Pacific islands people shy away from the topic due to a certain level of discomfort.

He said everyone is fortunate to live in Samoa where the freedom to speak freely is accepted but it is different when you compare Samoa with Fiji, where you have to be mindful of Government-led surveillance, intelligence and “trampling of human rights”.

“The surveillance, the intelligence, the trampling of human rights and nobody knows the trampling of human rights better than myself because of course under very draconian circumstances,” Prof. Ahluwalia said.  

“Last year in February the Government broke into my house at midnight in what I call Gestapo-like tactics and took my wife and I to the airport to deport us out of Fiji. 

“And so what was my crime? I exposed corruption so when you expose corruption in Fiji, you can expect to be deported out of the country.”

Human Rights Advisor with the United Nations in Samoa, Momoko Nomura, while thanking the USP Vice Chancellor for sharing his experience, spoke of the significance of individuals standing up in their own spheres of influence to address human rights.

She said while countries and intergovernmental bodies such as the United Nations have the systems and the tools to promote human rights, people have to be realistic about what “they can and cannot do”.

Thursday’s workshop at the USP Samoa Campus was organised for six USP students who were part of a four-week Human Rights Measurement Initiative (HRMI) Internship Programme to present their findings from the research they’ve been conducting looking at issues in Samoa.

The six students presented their findings at workshop after speeches by the Vice Chancellor and Ms. Nomura. The USP students were Faatauvaa Tavita, Faasisila Titimaea, Jennifer Apelu, Faye Sinei, Anastasia Toleafoa and Otto Rheeney.

Ms. Nomura congratulated the six students on the conclusion of their internship and added that she looked forward to hearing more about the findings from their research into human rights issues in Samoa.

“Congratulations, I hope the internship has equipped you about the knowledge and the tools, but also the inspiration to follow human rights and stand up for human rights,” she said.