Eswatini Court Rules Deported Men Can Meet Lawyers After 9-Month Denial
The Supreme Court of Eswatini has ruled in favor of four men deported from the United States under the Trump administration’s third-country deportation program, granting them the right to meet with legal counsel. The men, originally from Cuba, Yemen, Laos, and Vietnam, were held at the Matsapha Correctional Complex for nine months without in-person lawyer access. Authorities had argued they lacked this right as they were not charged with crimes in Eswatini, but the court dismissed these claims. This case highlights growing criticism of U.S. agreements with African nations to accept deportees who cannot be sent to their home countries. Documents reveal the U.S. paid Eswatini $5.1 million to accept these individuals, part of a broader strategy involving at least eight African countries. Critics argue the program violates human rights by transferring detainees to jurisdictions with poor rights records and no legal ties to the deportees. While two men have been repatriated, the remaining detainees continue to challenge the legality of their imprisonment, asserting they completed their U.S. sentences and face indefinite detention without charge in Eswatini.
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Eswatini Court Rules Deported Men Can Meet Lawyers After 9-Month Denial
The Supreme Court of Eswatini has ruled in favor of four men deported from the United States under the Trump administration’s third-country deportation program, granting them the right to meet with legal counsel. The men, originally from Cuba, Yemen, Laos, and Vietnam, were held at the Matsapha Correctional Complex for nine months without in-person lawyer access. Authorities had argued they lacked this right as they were not charged with crimes in Eswatini, but the court dismissed these claims. This case highlights growing criticism of U.S. agreements with African nations to accept deportees who cannot be sent to their home countries. Documents reveal the U.S. paid Eswatini $5.1 million to accept these individuals, part of a broader strategy involving at least eight African countries. Critics argue the program violates human rights by transferring detainees to jurisdictions with poor rights records and no legal ties to the deportees. While two men have been repatriated, the remaining detainees continue to challenge the legality of their imprisonment, asserting they completed their U.S. sentences and face indefinite detention without charge in Eswatini.
AP News