Eswatini activists on Thursday urged the High Court to declare as unconstitutional the kingdom’s acceptance of five foreign nationals deported from the United States. These individuals had been jailed for various crimes, including murder, before being flown to the small southern African nation by a U.S. military aeroplane.
The men from Vietnam, Laos, Yemen, Cuba, and Jamaica arrived in July as part of a Washington program to deport migrants to third-party countries. In an urgent court application, three legal and civil society groups asserted the deal was unconstitutional because its terms were not made known to the public.
The activists formally called upon the government of Africa’s last absolute monarchy to release the full terms of its agreement with the United States. They expressed that the circumstances of this deal raise serious concerns regarding executive overreach, human rights, and the overall national security of the nation.
The five deportees, described by the United States as “barbaric” criminals, are being held in solitary confinement within a maximum security prison. The activists’ statement also noted that the maximum security prison is currently operating at a significantly high overcapacity of 171 percent.
Neighboring South Africa last week formally protested to Eswatini about its acceptance of the convicted criminals and the potential adverse impact. South Africa expressed concern about the deportees’ specific profiles and the “adverse impact” they could have on its own national security.