The high court is the final appellate court for Nauru, under an agreement between the two countries that has been in place since 1976. Of the 16 appeals decided by the high court under the arrangement since 1976, 11 have concerned asylum seekers disputing the refusal of their refugee status. “We are sending asylum seekers to an island prison where they have virtually no rights if rights of appeal to the high court are taken away,” Newhouse said. The three men were re-sentenced to longer prison terms by the Nauru supreme court on Thursday, and again stated their intention to appeal to the high court. About 1,000 asylum seekers, including children, remain detained on Nauru in conditions the United Nations has warned are “devastating” to their mental health.

Source: The Guardian April 01, 2018 18:56 UTC