AMNESTY FOR COUP PERPETRATORS IN FIJI: CREATING PEACE OR POTENTIAL FOR FUTURE CONFLICT

Abstract

In many countries that have experienced coups d’etat, the coup executors, particularly senior ranking personnel of the state military, granted themselves some form of amnesty and/or impunity from prosecution. While this is effective in achieving short-term peace, sustainable peace remains elusive. This paper challenges the issues surrounding the question of amnesty within such settings, and considers the significance of this neglect. Additionally, most studies do not address the issue of amnesty and impunity for political crimes as the international focus tends to be mostly on gross violation of human rights. However, conflicts in most small island developing states (SIDS) do not reach the intensity to produce such gross violations of human rights though evidence shows that these conflicts can be equally costly to the country (Chauvet, et al, 2010, p. 976).