Nauru cancelled visa of Digicel's general manager before blocking Facebook

The Nauruan government revoked the visa of the general manager of Digicel just weeks before the provider began blocking Facebook and other websites.

Sources on the island say Digicel was forced to replace its general manager on the island, Lorna Roge, after a dispute over payment with the Nauruan government. In recent weeks Digicel has blocked a number of websites, including Facebook, sparking criticism about press freedom on the island.

The company would not comment on the cancellation of Roge’s visa. But in a statement released last week it noted the appointment of the new general manager.

“Today, Digicel announced the appointment of Ben Kealy as the new general manager of Digicel Nauru. This appointment means there is new vigour to deliver new and improved services to the people of Nauru.”

Kealy said: “I am thrilled to be joining the Digicel Nauru team and lead the way as we continue to evolve the telecom’s landscape by bringing world-class connectivity to the people of Nauru. We know there is currently some work to be done, but rest assured my first objective is to deliver the best customer experience on best quality network to all of our valued customers in Nauru.”

An opposition MP, Roland Kun, who was suspended from parliament and has not been permitted to take his seat again since May 2014, said the affair raised more concerns about the Nauruan government’s direction.

“We’ve asked for the government to state their reasons and make public what they’ve done but they just don’t seem to care,” he said.

“The current government has deported a number of people and haven’t provided any explanation.”

In 2014 an Australian magistrate who worked in the Nauruan justice system, Peter Law, was deported. The former chief justice, Geoffrey Eames, was prevented from re-entering the country.

Eames said at the time he believed the decision to deport Law was politically motivated, and amounted to an abuse of the rule of law.

The Nauruan government has not responded to requests for information about the deportations or the website blocking.

Guardian Australia has been unable to reach Roge for comment.