24 Jun 2015

Nauru MPs in custody for 9 more days

5:57 am on 24 June 2015

Two Nauru MPs, one a former president, have been remanded in custody for a further nine days after a court appearance today.

Former Nauru president Sprent Dabwido

Former Nauru president Sprent Dabwido Photo: supplied

The two, Sprent Dabwido and Squire Jeremiah, who have been charged in connection with a protest outside the Nauru Parliament last week, were taken into custody at the weekend.

The government has dubbed the protest a riot but the protestors say it was largely peaceful.

Both MPs have been suspended for the past year along with three colleagues and the lack of a meaningful opposition in the parliament prompted the protest.

Mr Dabwido and Mr Jeremiah are both from Nauru's Meneng district which means that area has had no parliamentary representation for a year.

Another of the suspended MPs, Mathew Batsiua, is on bail following the crackdown on the protest and a fourth, Roland Kun, has had his passport cancelled, so he cannot return to his family in Wellington, where he lives.