The government of Kiribati has suspended another three judges—this time members of the Court of Appeal—after they blocked attempts to deport High Court Judge David Lambourne.
The situation plunges the small Pacific nation’s democracy into crisis, leaving it without a functioning Appeals and High Court, and continues a tumultuous few weeks for the South Pacific—already susceptible to influence from Beijing.
The dismissal of the three Court of Appeal judges—New Zealanders Rodney Hansen, Peter Blanchard, and Paul Heath—comes after the Kiribati President Taneti Maamau issued a stinging criticism of their decision to block the deportation of Justice Lambourne, saying his government was “gravely concerned” by their “continuing attack on the rule of law.”…