Shamima Ali 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 of

Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...

descent. As of July 2015, she is the Coordinator of the

Fiji Women's Crisis Centre The Fiji Women's Crisis Centre (FWCC) is a non-government organization (NGO) in Fiji. Established in 1984, it offers counselling and legal, medical, and practical support to woman and children victims of violence in Fiji. History The Women's Cri ...

(FWCC), a post she has held for many years. She has also been a member 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 ...

(FHRC). Ali condemned the

military coup A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such ...

of 5 December 2006 and has taken a strong stand against human rights abuses alleged to have been committed by the

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 interim government. She has also criticized

Shaista Shameem Shaista Shameem, a Fijian lawyer, the director of the Fiji Human Rights Commission (FHRC) from 2002 to 2007, and its director and chairperson from 2007 to 2009. A graduate of the University of the South Pacific, she holds a PhD in Sociology from ...

, the Director of the FHRC and a coup-sympathizer, for allegedly ignoring such violations

When six pro-democracy activists were arrested and allegedly assaulted by the Military in the early hours of 25 December 2006, Shameem told her there was nothing the FHRC could do, according to Ali

Ali's position in the FHRC had already been further isolated by the resignation of Sevuloni Valenitabua the previous week

On 28 December, Ali vowed to continue speaking up, though she admitted that she was somewhat fearful. On 31 December, the

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 cautioning against believing the claims of

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

n fraudster

Peter Foster Peter Clarence Foster (born 1962) is an Australian career criminal who has been imprisoned in Australia, Britain, the United States, and Vanuatu for a variety of offences related to weight loss and other scams as well as absconding from justic ...

, which was being cited by the Military administration as implicating the deposed 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 ...

of involvement in electoral fraud. Ali spoke out on 4 January 2007 against a report written by Shaista Shameem, condoning and excusing the coup d'état as the removal of an "illegally constituted government". The report was based on Shameem's personal opinions and was neither commissioned nor sanctioned by the FHRC, Ali claimed. ''"The report by Dr Shameem is not in accordance with Commission procedures and policy and I presume it to be her personal opinion,"'' she said. ''"The report carries numerous errors and fabrications,"'' she added. Ali called on Shameem to resig

and declared her intention to consult with her colleagues to explore the possibility of having Shameem dismissed. Ali claimed that her own intervention had secured the release from military custody of

Richard Naidu Richard Naidu is an Indo-Fijian journalist, constitutional lawyer and opponent of the 2006 Fijian coup d'état. He is a former director of Transparency International Fiji. Naidu served as spokesperson for Prime Minister of Fiji Timoci Bavadra. Du ...

, a prominent lawyer who was detained on 23 January 2007 for making what the Military called "inciteful" comments on

Radio New Zealand Radio New Zealand ( mi, Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa), commonly known as Radio NZ or simply RNZ, is a New Zealand public-service radio broadcaster and Crown entity that was established under the Radio New Zealand Act 1995. It operates news and c ...

. The Military, however, denied that Ali had played a role in the release.

Honours

On 10 December 2009 Ali was awarded

Amnesty International Aotearoa New Zealand Amnesty International New Zealand is a part of the Amnesty International network, an international nonprofit organisation working to end human rights abuses. It is one of over 70 nationally organised sections or national offices of the global Amnes ...

's inaugural Human Rights Defender award. In September 2022 she was awarded Vanuatu's 40th anniversary medal for her work in eliminating violence against women and children.

References

External links

Fijian feminist Shamima Ali
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ali, Shamima Year of birth missing (living people) Living people University of the South Pacific alumni Fijian civil servants Fijian women civil servants Fijian Muslims Fijian women's rights activists