Amnesty International is demanding that South Sudanese authorities immediately disclose the whereabouts of two men, Nyo Myint and Enrique Arias Hierro, who were deported from the United States and are now reportedly being held incommunicado.
According to a recent action alert from the human rights organization seen by the Nile Witness, the two men were part of a group of eight deportees who arrived in Juba from a U.S. military base in Djibouti on July 4.
While the South Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that most of the deportees were in government custody, Amnesty International states that the men’s lawyers have been unable to access them or receive any official information about their location.
Amnesty International has received “credible reports” that NyoMyint, a refugee from Myanmar, and Enrique Arias Hierro, a Cuban national, are in the custody of the National Security Service (NSS).
However, the organization noted that it has not been able to independently verify this information.
In a letter addressed to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Monday Semaya Kumba, Amnesty International expressed “deep concern” for the men, calling their detention with limited access to legal counsel a violation of international law.
The organization warned that this situation could create a context for “torture and other ill-treatment.”
The letter also urged the South Sudanese government not to forcibly send the men to their home countries if they face a risk of persecution, as this would violate the principle of non-refoulement under international law.
This development follows a U.S. mass deportation campaign and comes amid concerns over the powers of South Sudan’s National Security Service.
The government’s receipt of the deportees has been previously linked to attempts to negotiate the lifting of sanctions and visa restrictions.
However, South Sudanese authorities have denied any agreement with the U.S. to receive third-country nationals.
