Ten Asylum Seekers to Stand Trial
MEDIA RELEASE
For Immediate Release
25 February, 2013
Ten Asylum Seekers to Stand
Trial on Rioting Charges
The ten asylum seekers from the Nauru Regional Processing Centre
who last week, pleaded not guilty to rioting and willful damage
charges will stand trial in April.
The ten defendants appeared before Resident Magistrate Peter Law
this morning (25 Feb) and once again had their bail extended until
Wednesday, 24th April.
At the pre-trial hearing this morning, legal discussion included
whether all ten should be tried jointly, or whether individuals or
small groups of the defendants could be tried at the one time.
Magistrate Law pointed out that individual trials would take up
a great deal of the court's time.
Solicitor-General Steven Bliim, who was acting as Public
Defender this morning, told the Magistrate that it was likely that
legal representatives from Australia would be willing to come to
Nauru to assist in the trials, by representing some of the
defendants.
Mr Bliim represented seven of the ten defendants at this
morning's session, while local Pleader Pres Nimes Ekwona
represented the other three.
Magistrate Law said it was hoped that three to four defendants
could be tried together.
The defendants were not required to be in court during the legal
discussion and waited in the bus until they were called to appear
in order to have their bail conditions explained.
Each was called individually, advised of the bail extension and
allowed to return to the bus.
ENDS///