Two members of the UBC Okanagan Students' Union are speaking out after spending more than 30 hours in custody in Toronto.

Grayson Lepp and Kirk Chavarie were released from a special G20 Detention Centre at 3 a.m. Tuesday morning (midnight Pacific time).

In a news release issued Tuesday afternoon, Students' Union General Manager, Rob Nagai, says the two had been arbitrarily detained after a police raid on a University of Toronto residence building early Sunday morning. More than 70 others were also taken into custody.

Nagai says Lepp and Chavarie both left Friday to attend a rally in support of public post-secondary education along with other students' unions from across the country.

After participating in a peaceful rally Saturday, Nagai says Lepp and Chavarie retired to the U of T campus. He says early the next morning they were woken by police as officers swooped down on them.

"Students came to the G20 to let world leaders know post-secondary education and public services are not for sale. We wanted to stand in solidarity with other students from across the country," says Lepp.

"Instead, we found out that our civil rights can be suspended anytime, anywhere. While we were let go, other student leaders remain in custody."

"Nagai claims both were deprived of the right to call legal counsel for more than 30 hours and were eventually released at the order of a Justice of the Peace on a promise to appear and $1,000 bail.

"My grandmother is an activist and told me many stories of police excesses during peaceful demonstrations. What I saw was a total crackdown on civil rights," says Chavarie.

"I was lucky to have been released after only thirty-six hours. Many others still remain in custody for doing nothing more than exercising their right to free speech and assembly."

Toronto police allege many in the gym had been involved in vandalism the previous day. Nagai says no evidence has been produced.

He says Lepp and Chavarie are to appear in court August 23 on charges of conspiracy to commit an indictable offence.