Two men jailed for gay sex in Fiji have begun an appeal of their two-year prison sentence after being released on bail. The pair, retired Australian university professor Thomas McCoskar, a tourist, and Dhirendra Nadan, a Fijiian local, have been ordered not to leave the country. Their lawyers say the convictions are unconstitutional, as gays and lesbians have protections under Fiji's 1998 Constitution. The men were convicted under old colonial laws which ban gay sex and have never been repealed. In passing sentence on the pair, Magistrate Syed Muhktar Shah described their behaviour as "something so disgusting that it would make any decent person vomit." Protests have already begun in Australia calling for government intervention, with a gathering outside the Fijiian consulate in Sydney. Among the protesters was Australian Greens senator Kerry Nettle, who said: "We are calling on both the Fijian government and the Australian government to do something about repealing anti-gay laws in Fiji."
Credit: GayNZ.com News Staff
First published: Wednesday, 13th April 2005 - 12:00pm