Like many former Pacific colonies, Nauru retrained judicial links with its former colonial master, using an Australian court as its final court of appeal. Last month they abolished those ties. That's a good move, except for one detail: they did it in secret, and apparently to strip defendents in political cases of their appeal rights:
Nauru's justice system is without any court of appeal, after the Nauruan government severed ties with the Australian judicial system.
The move by the Pacific island's government has left former Opposition MPs involved in highly-politicised cases with no avenue of appeal.
Their lawyers only found out about the change after a chance encounter with senior Nauruan officials on a flight to Brisbane.
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The ABC understands this took place on 12 December and that it took effect three months later.
Nauru establishing its own supreme court is a good thing. But this seems calculated to deny justice to the government's political enemies. And that's simply not acceptable.
