5 Nov 2015

Amnesty to take up Nauru's invitation to visit

3:41 pm on 5 November 2015

Amnesty International says it's heartened by Nauru's invitation to international bodies to go to the island and check out its treatment of asylum seekers and refugees.

The barren and bankrupt island state of the Republic of Nauru awaits the arrival of refugees, 11 September 2001. Just 25 square kilometres, Nauru has been devastated by phosphate mining which once made the Micronesians the second wealthiest people per capita on earth. AFP PHOTO/Torsten BLACKWOOD

The Republic of Nauru Photo: AFP

Nauru issued the invitation during its human rights review at the United Nations on Tuesday.

Amnesty's Pacific campaigner Rebecca Emery says Amnesty has not been able to get in to check out the situation around asylum seeker processing but will now apply.

She says the group would like to see how policies like the ban on social media are working.

"On the face of it we'd be concerned it's an excessive and disproportionate restriction but we are keen to have a closer look at the situation that Nauru described in the UPR review for ourselves to see what is actually happening with women and children in Nauru."

Rebecca Emery says Amnesty is encouraged by the steps taken by Nauru since its last review.