Leading Eswatini human rights lawyer Sibusiso Nhlabatsi has accused both the United States and Eswatini governments of participating in what he calls a form of “human trafficking” after 15 foreign nationals were secretly deported to the small southern African kingdom.
Since July, five men were flown in on a U.S. military plane, followed by another 10 in October, under an alleged agreement between Washington and Mbabane. The deportees reportedly from Vietnam, Laos, Cuba, and other countries have been held in a high-security Eswatini prison without legal access.
Nhlabatsi, who has been denied permission to visit the detainees, says the expulsions violate international law and basic human rights. “Eswatini finds itself participating in what I can only call human trafficking or kidnapping,” he told AFP. “These men are far from their families and are being denied a basic right access to lawyers.”
A High Court ruling in early October granted Eswatini lawyers permission to visit the detainees, but the government appealed, effectively blocking access. Lawyers have since demanded full disclosure of the government’s deal with the U.S., believed to involve $5.1 million in exchange for accepting up to 160 deportees as part of America’s broader Trump-era migrant crackdown.
“I believe the country prioritised financial gain over international law,” Nhlabatsi said.
Eswatini ruled by King Mswati III for nearly four decades remains one of the world’s last absolute monarchies. Political parties are banned, and critics risk charges of terrorism or sedition for calling for democratic reform.
Nhlabatsi described the justice system as being “weaponised” against dissent, citing the 2021 imprisonment of two opposition MPs during pro-democracy protests that left at least 37 people dead. One of them, Mthandeni Dube, was released this week after apologising to the king and pledging to avoid future protests.
The lawyer also expressed fears for his own safety following the 2023 assassination of fellow activist Thulani Maseko, who was shot dead in his home. “He was a man of peace and I know the state knew that,” Nhlabatsi said.
Calling Eswatini’s deep inequality and youth unemployment a “ticking time bomb,” Nhlabatsi urged reforms to end the royal patronage system and address widespread poverty and corruption.
“It is not sustainable,” he warned, adding that Eswatini’s growing instability is a cry for help the world can no longer ignore.