The New Zealand parliament on Tuesday unanimously passed a motion condemning the beating of detainees in Fiji, which emerged in a video recording last week.

Opposition Labour Party foreign affairs spokesperson Phil Goff tabled the motion, saying the interim government in Fiji needed to take account of the international condemnation of the brutal beating and torture of detainees.

"From across the political spectrum, New Zealand parliamentarians have called on Fiji to publicly condemn the use of torture, hold to account those responsible and uphold international standards on human rights," Goff said in a statement after the motion was carried.

The video recording brought to light a pattern of behavior towards detainees by Fijian security forces that was reportedly commonplace, he said.

"New Zealanders want to see Fiji rejoin the Pacific community of nations as a country that practices democracy and respects the rights of its own people," said Goff.

"But condoning security forces brutalizing detainees diminishes confidence that Fiji is on track to restore democracy, and tarnishes its image as a country people feel comfortable visiting, " he said.

"We join with the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, in calling for the interim government in Fiji to observe international standards in this area."

Fiji leader Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama, who seized power in a coup in 2006, reportedly said last week he would stand by officers implicated in the video as they were doing their duty. Endi

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