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Eswatini court rules first Trump deportees in jail have right to lawyer
The ruling covers the first five deportees and could affect others held under the U.S. third-country transfer program, officials and lawyers said.
- On Thursday, The Supreme Court of Eswatini ruled that four men deported by the United States under the Trump administration program may finally consult with a lawyer, rejecting government arguments that detainees lacked the right to counsel.
- For nine months, authorities denied the detainees in-person legal counsel while holding them at the maximum-security Matsapha Correctional Complex, despite a lower court ruling that local lawyer Sibusiso Nhlabatsi could meet with them.
- A $5.1 million deal between the two nations faces legal challenge, as lawyers argue the men's detention is illegal because they completed their United States prison sentences and face no pending charges in the African kingdom.
- Novo Legal Group lawyer Alma David, representing two of the men, said on Friday that the nine-month delay "speaks volumes about how hard the government of Eswatini is fighting" to deny the men basic rights.
- These detainees are among at least 19 migrants sent to Eswatini, part of a broader Trump administration crackdown involving 47 deportation deals and at least $40 million in spending, according to a Senate Foreign Relations Committee report.
23 Articles
23 Articles
Amnesty International
Amnesty International IrelandEswatini: Supreme Court ruling on legal access offers limited relief for US deportees
Responding to the Supreme Court’s unanimous ruling confirming a High Court order granting lawyers access to individuals unlawfully removed by the United States (US), flown to Eswatini and held at Matsapha Correctional Complex, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for East and Southern Africa, Vongai Chikwanda, said: “The Supreme Court’s ruling is an important step towards […]
Associated Press News
Court rules in favor of 4 men deported by the US to Africa and denied lawyer meetings for 9 months
The Supreme Court in Eswatini has ruled that four men deported by the U.S. under a third-country program can finally meet with a lawyer.
Eswatini court rules first Trump deportees in jail have right to lawyer
A court in Eswatini has ruled that the first five migrants the Trump administration sent to the African kingdom have a right to a lawyer, after they were denied legal representation on their transfer from the U.S. to a Swazi jail in July.
Eswatini top court rules US deportees entitled to lawyer access
Eswatini top court rules US deportees entitled to lawyer access Vusi.Bafetane Fri, 04/10/2026 - 15:25 A photo shows a prison checkpoint where deportees from the United States with criminal records in Matsapha, central Eswatini, on September 10, 2025. A photo shows a prison checkpoint where deportees from the United States with criminal records in Matsapha, central Eswatini, on September 10, 2025. JOHANNESBURG - Eswatini's top court has r…
Esuatini's highest court ruled that migrants deported from the United States last July have the right to receive visits from a lawyer, according to a sentence consulted by the AFP this Friday.The small kingdom received 19 men as part of an agreement signed between the United States and several African countries to accept migrants under a deportation program to third countries, widely criticized by human rights organizations.
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