Nauru's former resident magistrate says there's a climate of fear in the country.
Peter Law was unlawfully arrested and deported last year after granting injunctions to other residents who were facing deportation.
Currently there are four government MPs in court following a protest at the Parliament in June.
The protest was prompted by the suspension of opposition MPs, and the government reacted by arresting the MPs and others, and suspending passports.
Peter Law says that could be a reason why there have been no further protests to the government's abuses of the rule of the law.
"Well there's a level of intimidation, which can't help but make people very apprehensive or fearful about doing anything. Public servants who were at the demonstration have been sacked. So that's fairly intimidating behaviour. It's very hard to get a job in Nauru, if you get one you don't want to lose it, because the government really operates most businesses. There's very little private enterprise."
Nauru's former resident magistrate Peter Law.