Fiji's Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka has dismissed MP Lynda Tabuya as a minister after an explicit video of her circulated online.
Ms Tabuya has said the private video was meant for her husband, and called its circulation on social media a criminal invasion of privacy.
Mr Rabuka announced his decision to sack Ms Tabuya as minister for women, children and social protection on Facebook yesterday, two days after local Fijian media first reported the existence of the video.
[Facebook post]It remains unclear how the video entered the public domain, but Mr Rabuka said it was for Ms Tabuya to pursue an investigation by making a complaint to law enforcement agencies.
He told the ABC that regardless of how it came to be circulated online, the video had brought his cabinet and party into disrepute.
"It has become a public disgrace to the government and we must nip that in the bud," he said.
Mr Rabuka said he asked Ms Tabuya for an explanation, before sacking her and appointing Ms Tabuya's assistant minister, Sashi Kiran, to replace her in the ministry.
"After considering the various codes that we had ascribed to as members of cabinet, I decided that [Ms Tabuya] had acted outside the conduct limits," Mr Rabuka said.
However, it's unclear which codes Mr Rabuka has decided Ms Tabuya has breached.
While the Fijian constitution provides for public officials' professional conduct, there remains no specific code of conduct for MPs or cabinet ministers.
Ms Tabuya's future as an MP is also on the line after the People's Alliance Party started a disciplinary process.
The ABC has approached Ms Tabuya, who is a member of the party, for comment.
She told local media earlier week "there is nothing scandalous or illegal or immoral about sharing private videos and images between two consenting adults who are in a relationship, in this case me and my husband".
The MP also said the people sharing the video had subjected her to online gender-based violence, a prevalent issue in Fiji involving the release of private images and videos without a person's consent.
Ms Tabuya told local media she was working closely with authorities to identify who distributed the video, that she had evidence of one person sharing it on email and that she would file a police complaint.
"I warn anyone who is sharing the video through Messenger or email or any online platform that you are committing a crime and will be held accountable and face serious legal consequences," she said.
Mr Rabuka said the government was not investigating how the video entered the public domain.
"The fact is that this video has been made available. Who by and what for will have to be determined by subsequent questioning on her part and on the part of the law enforcement agencies if she reports the matter to them," he said.
Fiji Assistant Commissioner of Police Livai Driu told Fiji Television that the Cyber Crime Unit was investigating after Ms Tabuya lodged a complaint in the capital city, Suva.
'Invasion of privacy and theft'
Shamima Ali, who heads the Fiji Women's Crisis Centre, said gender-based violence perpetrated via technology makes up to 10 per cent of her organisation's workload.
She was concerned that Ms Tabuya's dismissal would deter women from reporting their experiences of online gender-based violence.
Ms Ali also said a double standard was being applied where "women are judged by what they do in the bedroom consensually".
"We are riddled with the patriarchal culture, and in this country unfortunately and other countries also, this is the case," she said.
Asked about online gender-based violence against women, Mr Rabuka urged those who had been impacted to take action.
"I would encourage them to take the actions … against the perpetrators of these activities that not only bring shame to them and their organisations but also contradict the universal norms and respect for privacy," he said.
The scandal has split public opinion and drawn attention to online gender-based violence in Fiji.
While some members of the public have called for Ms Tabuya's resignation, some observers have argued the video was private and unrelated to her role as a minister.
Fiji-based journalism professor at the University of the South Pacific, Shailendra Singh, said on Facebook Ms Tabuya was the "victim of invasion of privacy and theft".
"Fiji has no business with regards to what Lynda Tabuya does in the privacy and confines of her bedroom," he said.
"In addition to the trauma of being the victim of a heinous crime, she's now the subject of ridicule and opprobrium by a self-righteous public."
