Official Name: Republic of the Fiji Islands
Population: 838,000
Capital: Suva - Pop. 86,000
Area: 18,274 sq. km. / 11,355 sq. miles.
Language: English, Bau Fijian, and Hindustani
Religion: Christain, Hindu, Muslim
Status of Homosexuality: Technically illegal
Telephone Country Code: 679
Fiji is an island nation in the South Pacific Ocean occupying an archipelago of about 322 islands, of which 106 are permanently inhabited. In September 2007 the military declared again a state of emergency and ousted Prime Minister. The interim Government set up an anti corruption Commission which have received numerous complaints and allegations. In 1997 Fiji became the second country in the world to explicitly protect against discrimination based on sexual orientation in its constitution. Despite the constitution, male homosexuality is still technically illegal in Fiji. The Fijian Penal code states that any person who has carnal knowledge against the order of nature faces imprisonment of 14 years, with or without corporal punishment and indecent practices between males is punishable by 5 years imprisonment. There are no laws prohibiting sexual acts between women. The 2001 murders of two high-profile respected gay residents, John Scott and Gregory Scrivener, broke loose the pretense and silence about homosexuality in Fiji. In 2002 the Marriage Act was amended to read as “union of one woman and one man to the exclusion of all others". In 2006, the Fijian High Commissioner in New Zealand confirmed that there is now a policy to not arrest gay men for consensual gay sex.
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