The New Zealand Parliamentary Press Gallery has called the Nauru Government's banning of the ABC from the Pacific Islands Forum a clear violation of freedom of speech.
The Nauru Government's refusing to grant any ABC journalist a visa to cover the September regional forum because of what it calls biased, false reporting and blatant interfering in the country's domestic politics.
Australia’s public broadcaster says it's outraged at the banning and plans to attempt go to the Pacific Islands Forum regardless as part of the Australian pool.
As well as criticising the ABC banning, Parliamentary Press Gallery chair Stacey Kirk says it's appalled at the Nauru Government's attempt to control media coverage by limiting the number of journalists who can attend the summit.
It's the first time in the history of the Pacific forum, which was established in 1971, that numbers of journalists have been limited and a media organisation banned.
Amnesty International says the Nauru Government must not dictate who should and shouldn’t be attending the pan-regional event.
Senior Director of Global Operations Minar Pimple says the ABC banning is a "brazen" move and a clear attempt at suppressing critical coverage of its inhuman treatment of refugees at the Australian detention centre on the island.
Australia's Prime Minister Malcolm Turner says it's "regrettable" media wont be there but “we must respect Nauru's sovereignty to determine who comes into their own country”.
In a statement the Pacific Forum Secretariat says while Nauru as a sovereign country has stated its position and concerns about media reporting, the forum has always stood by its principles of free and open press.
It says the Forum Secretariat is committed to working closely with the Nauru Government and media organisations to ensure the best possible outcome.
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