Virisila Buadromo (born 1972) is a

Fiji Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists ...

an political activist and former journalist, who was the executive director of the Fiji Women's Rights Movement (FWRM) from 2001 to 2015. She used to be the news director for FM96.

Political positions

On 15 August 2006, Buadromo called for abortion to be legalized in Fiji.

2006 coup d'état

Buadromo strongly condemned the military coup which deposed the elected government of

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

Laisenia Qarase Laisenia Qarase (pronounced ; 4 February 1941 – 21 April 2020) was a Fijian politician. He served as the sixth Prime Minister of Fiji from 2000 to 2006. After the military quashed the coup that led to the removal of Mahendra Chaudhry, Qarase ...

on 5 December 2006. The ''

Fiji Times ''The Fiji Times'' is a daily English-language newspaper published in Suva, Fiji. Established in Levuka on 4 September 1869 by George Littleton Griffiths, it is Fiji's oldest newspaper still operating. ''The Fiji Times'' is owned by Motibhai G ...

'' quoted her on 12 December as saying that Fiji had a "coup culture" which was perpetuated by the failure of successive governments to prosecute perpetrators of earlier coups, from the 1987 coups onwards. The

Fiji Village ''Fiji Village'' (stylised ''Fijivillage'') is an online news website in Fiji which is fully owned and operated by Communications Fiji Limited. It covers local, political, business, sporting, cultural, and other news items. ''Fiji Village'' is ...

news service reported on 9 December that she had issued a strong warning to any persons interested in applying for ministerial positions in a

Military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

-backed government that participation would be illegal, and that the FWRM was documenting events in the wake of the coup. On 20 December, the ''

'' and ''

Fiji Sun ''Fiji Sun'' is a daily newspaper published in Fiji since September 1999 and owned by Sun News Limited. ''Fiji Sun'' was founded by and is part of CJ. Patel Group. The Fiji Sun has its main newsroom in Suva, Fiji. Its print center remains in su ...

'' quoted her as extending the blacklist to persons taking up positions in the civil service. "These are not private appointments. You are being offered positions on the boards of statutory or corporatised bodies, which are partially public or government-owned. This is the same as accepting a position in the illegal interim government," Buadromo said. She had already condemned lawyer Rodney Acraman on 15 December for accepting the position of

Ombudsman An ombudsman (, also ,), ombud, ombuds, ombudswoman, ombudsperson or public advocate is an official who is usually appointed by the government or by parliament (usually with a significant degree of independence) to investigate complaints and at ...

and Chairman of the

Fiji Human Rights Commission The Fiji Human Rights Commission (FHRC) was created by presidential decree in 2009, succeeding the entity of the same name established as an independent statutory body under the 1997 Constitution of the Republic of the Fiji Islands. The 1997 Co ...

. Fiji Village quoted Buadromo on 11 December as saying that on 4 December, she had received a call from an anonymous male who tried to intimidate her into ceasing her campaign against the Military. A number of news agencies reported on 25 December that Buadromo, her partner Arshad Daud, and fellow-pro democracy activists

Imraz Iqbal Imraz Iqbal Ali is a Fijian businessman, political activist, and former Television journalist, of Indian descent. He does not normally use his last name, except for legal purposes. Together with Laisa Digitaki, he is the co-owner of a magazine, ...

, Jacqueline Koroi, Laisa Digitaki, and Peter Waqavonovono had been summoned to Suva's Queen Elizabeth Barracks around midnight. There were allegations that soldiers had assaulted some of them, and had forced all of them to walk a long distance to the outskirts of the city and told to find their way home.
/ref> On 23 December,

Commodore Commodore may refer to: Ranks * Commodore (rank), a naval rank ** Commodore (Royal Navy), in the United Kingdom ** Commodore (United States) ** Commodore (Canada) ** Commodore (Finland) ** Commodore (Germany) or ''Kommodore'' * Air commodore, a ...

Frank Bainimarama Josaia Voreqe "Frank" Bainimarama (Fijian: ʃoˈsɛia βoˈreŋɡe mbɛiniˈmarama born 27 April 1954) is a Fijian politician and former naval officer who served as the prime minister of Fiji from 2007 until 2022. A member of the FijiFirst ...

, Commander of the

Republic of Fiji Military Forces The Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF, formerly the Royal Fiji Military Forces) is the military force of the Pacific island nation of Fiji. With a total manpower of about 4,000 active soldiers and approximately 6,000 reservists, it is one ...

, had accused Buadromo, along with lawyer

Imrana Jalal Imrana Jalal, also known as Patricia Jalal is a Fijian lawyer and activist of Indian descent, born on June 3, 1960 in Suva, Fiji to Sayed Abdul Jalal and Rosemary Jalal. She served as a Human Rights Commissioner on the Fiji Human Rights Commissio ...

, of having published his personal e-mail address and mobile telephone number in newspapers, which was causing him problems, he said.

Personal life

Her father, Seni Buadromo, a former Lord Mayor of

Suva Suva () is the capital and largest city of Fiji. It is the home of the country's largest metropolitan area and serves as its major port. The city is located on the southeast coast of the island of Viti Levu, in Rewa Province, Central Divi ...

, and her mother, Liku, are both from the

Lau Islands The Lau Islands aka little Tonga (also called the Lau Group, the Eastern Group, the Eastern Archipelago) of Fiji are situated in the southern Pacific Ocean, just east of the Koro Sea. Of this chain of about sixty islands and islets, about thirty a ...

. She has four sisters. Buadromo is married to Arshad Daud, an

Indo-Fijian Indo-Fijians or Indian-Fijians (also known as Fiji Indians) are Fijian citizens of Indian descent, and include people who trace their ancestry to various regions of the Indian subcontinent.Girmit by Suresh Prasad Although Indo-Fijians constitu ...

. Buadromo is a Christian.

Sources

Wansolwara Print, April edition, 2002
(most information in this article, except where otherwise noted, is gleaned from this source).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Buadromo, Virisila Living people 1972 births Fijian Christians People from Lau Province People from Suva I-Taukei Fijian people Fijian journalists Fijian activists Recipients of the International Women of Courage Award