YAREN – Two Nauruan opposition MPs are still in police custody after having their bail hearing delayed since Friday, supporters say.

And the Nauru government is claiming several police officers were injured during last Tuesday’s rally outside the island’s parliament house.

Fellow opposition MP Mathew Batsiua and opposition supporter Lockley Denuga have confirmed that Squire Jeremiah and former president Sprent Dabwido remained in jail since their arrests with their planned court hearings rescheduled for today at 10.00am.

“It sounded like it was going to be a simple thing, that they just attend court at 8.00am on Saturday and they’d be bailed out,” Denuga told the ABC.

“It didn’t turn out that way, it took them all day and in the evening and it seems like they hadn’t completed anything. So they were taken back to jail.

“Being a Sunday, there won’t be any court, and on Monday there’s going to be a public holiday – so they’ve scheduled for Tuesday (today local time) morning to continue with their court case.”

Lockley told the ABC on Friday that police arrived at Jeremiah’s house to issue arrest warrants. He said the two MPs went willingly to the police station.

A statement released by the Nauru government’s on Saturday confirmed reports of some of the arrests, but not those of Jeremiah and Dabwido.

Repeated requests for information on the latest arrests from the Nauru government have gone unanswered, the ABC reports.

Saturday’s statement also restated the government’s issues with foreign media reporting on the situation in Nauru.

“Unfortunately some of these media outlets are giving airtime to opposition MPs even after they engaged in criminal activities, which is shameful,” the statement said.

“Suspended MP Mathew Batsiua was arrested on Tuesday and charged. Claims that he was entrapped into a false meeting with the president are false.

“Mr Batsiua was involved in a riot, had breached parliament and took part in criminal activities.”

The statement also confirmed MP Roland Kun was removed from an outbound flight mid-week, “following a police investigation into his alleged involvement in Tuesday’s riot.”

“Mr Kun was fleeing the scene of a crime before authorities tracked him down and confiscated his passport.”

Kun has denied that he was present, or involved, in the rally – which the government terms a “riot”.

Protester Lockley Denuga said supporters of Jeremiah and Dabwido were disappointed with the delays in dealing with the bail conditions of the two MPs.

“It was supposed to be just a one or two hour session for just bailing,” he said. “We’re disappointed but we cannot do anything.”

On Friday, Jeremiah said people were living in fear in Nauru as the Pacific nation’s government continued a crackdown on dissent.

On Tuesday, hundreds of protesters called on the government to resign over the indefinite suspension of five opposition MPs from parliament since mid-2014, a recent crackdown on free speech including new laws and the banning of Facebook, and corruption allegations aired by the ABC.

One MP, Mathew Batsiua, was arrested as police clashed with protesters.

The Nauru government on Tuesday named Jeremiah and the most recent former president and now opposition MP, Dabwido, and as being “involved in the act of lawlessness”.

It stated Dabwido and Jeremiah “were originally suspended for prior acts of violence and vandalism inside the parliament”.

A statement from the Nauru government also reiterated claims ten police officers were hurt at the site of the rally.

Citing Nauru’s health department, it said six police officers obtained injuries from cuts requiring stitches, bruising, bites and minor head injuries from rocks and punches.

“Two police officers had chest injuries and a number of others needed pain relief for ... pain and headaches,” the statement said.

“A few collapsed due to dehydration related to extreme exertion and heat exhaustion.”

It said all were treated and discharged from Nauru Hospital.

The claims have not been independently verified.

Radio New Zealand reports Nauru’s government saying it has deployed extra police to prevent further protests on the island and has reiterated accusations that suspended opposition MPs are trying to destabilise the government.

The government has also hit out at foreign media, saying giving airtime to the opposition MPs was “shameful”.