Australia will soon deport three violent criminals including a convicted murderer to Nauru even though they are not citizens of the tiny Pacific atoll, after an Australian court ruled that dangerous immigrants can no longer be imprisoned indefinitely.

The Nauruan president has defended his government’s offer to resettle three members of the NZYQ cohort of non-citizens from Australia – described by Australia as violent offenders – saying they have “served their time”.

Australia’s minister for home affairs announced on Sunday that the federal government has struck a deal with Nauru to “resettle” three non-citizens from what’s come to be known as the “NZYQ cohort”. The NZYQ cohort is a group of people released from long-term immigration detention after the High Court’s NZYQ 2023 decision.

Rights groups on Monday denounced an Australian plan to send three violent foreign criminals -- including a murderer -- to live on the tiny Pacific nation of Nauru.