Eswatini government faces court challenge over men deported by US

Source: The Guardian

Eswatini government faces court challenge over men deported by US

Group of NGOs claim deal was unconstitutional and violated the imprisoned men’s human rights

Rachel Savage and agencies
Fri 22 Aug 2025 11.02 EDT
First published on Fri 22 Aug 2025 09.37 EDT

A group of NGOs is challenging Eswatini’s acceptance of five people deported by the US, arguing the deal was unconstitutional and violated the imprisoned men’s human rights.

The men from Vietnam, Jamaica, Laos, Yemen and Cuba, who the US said were dangerous criminals, were flown to the small southern African country in July, as the Trump administration attempts to deport millions of migrants and asylum seekers.

The men’s imprisonment, at the maximum security Matsapha correctional centre, caused outrage in Eswatini, formerly Swaziland, whose king, Africa’s last absolute monarch, appoints the prime minister and cabinet.

A group of NGOs and activists filed a legal challenge against the government last week, arguing that the deal, whose terms have been kept private by the government, violated due process and that the prison where the men were being held was 190% over capacity.

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Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/aug/22/court-case-challenging-eswatini-us-immigrant-deportation-deal-postponed