Imraz Iqbal Ali is an

Indo-Fijian Indo-Fijians () are Fijians of South Asian descent whose ancestors were Girmitiyas, indentured labourers. Indo-Fijians trace their ancestry to various regions of the Indian subcontinent. Although Indo-Fijians constituted a majority of Fiji's ...

human rights activist, journalist, and businessman. He does not normally use his last name, except for legal purposes. Together with Laisa Digitaki, he was the co-owner of a magazine, ''Fiji Living'', based in Digitaki's home in the Lami suburb of Vugalei. Iqbal also hosted a popular Fiji Diving adventure show during his Television Career. He contested the

Nasinu Nasinu () is an urban area on the island Viti Levu in Fiji. It is officially designated a "Town" and was formally incorporated as such in 1999. The population of Nasinu was 92,043 at the 2017 Census. Its land area is the largest of any municipal ...

Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Associated with India * of or related to India ** Indian people ** Indian diaspora ** Languages of India ** Indian English, a dialect of the English language ** Indian cuisine Associated with indigenous peoples o ...

Communal Constituency for the

Soqosoqo Duavata ni Lewenivanua The United Fiji Party (, , SDL) was a list of political parties in Fiji, political party in Fiji. It was founded in 2001 by Prime Minister of Fiji, Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase as a power base; it absorbed most of the Christian Democratic Alli ...

Party (SDL) at the

2006 Fijian general election General elections were held in Fiji between 6 and 13 May 2006. The incumbent Soqosoqo Duavata ni Lewenivanua government, led by Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase, was re-elected for a third term in government, opposed by the Labour Party, led by ...

. He polled only 226 votes out of more than 12,000 - some 1.9 percent of the total. He later served as a spokesperson for the SDL. Iqbal strongly condemned the

Republic of Fiji Military Forces The Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF, formerly the Royal Fiji Military Forces until 1987 when the Dominion of Fiji was overthrown) is the military force of the Pacific Ocean, Pacific island nation of Fiji. With a total manpower of about ...

for the

coup d'état A coup d'état (; ; ), or simply a coup , is typically an illegal and overt attempt by a military organization or other government elites to unseat an incumbent leadership. A self-coup is said to take place when a leader, having come to powe ...

of 5 December 2006. An article he published in ''Fiji Living'' resulted in

Navy A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the military branch, branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral z ...

Commander

Francis Kean Francis Frederick Kean (born ) is a former Fijian military officer, public servant, sports administrator, and convicted killer. In 2007, when he was serving as Commander of the Republic of Fiji Navy he was charged with murder. He was ultimately c ...

summoning him to

Suva Suva (, ) is the Capital city, capital and the most populous 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 Rew ...

's Queen Elizabeth Barracks and warning him against speaking out against the Military. In the early hours of 25 December, Iqbal was again summoned to the barracks, along with Digitaki, feminist leader

Virisila Buadromo Virisila Buadromo (born 1972) is a Fijian 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 O ...

, and a number of others. They were allegedly assaulted by soldiers before being ordered to walk home. In September 2008 Iqbal again had a brush with the law. This time the Fiji Police force alleged him to be in possession of the missing gun of the 2000 coup. He was arrested and held for 3 days by the Fiji police force and released after numerous raids and searches found no weapons in his possession.

References

Fijian businesspeople Fijian Muslims Living people Politicians from Lami, Fiji Year of birth missing (living people) {{Fiji-bio-stub