From the Guardian · · 3m
US deportees tortured in Equatorial Guinea hotel
Men expelled by Trump administration face beatings, isolation and threats in detention facility with no legal status or way home.
In brief
Men expelled by Trump administration face beatings, isolation and threats in detention facility with no legal status or way home. The US is sending people it cannot legally deport to third countries where they have no protection, and at least two have been violently punished for documenting abuse. Originally reported…
Two men beaten in detention
Ahmed Soliman from Egypt and Samson Birhane from Eritrea were bound, had bags placed over their heads, and were beaten and pushed down stairs at Hotel Bamy in Malabo, witnessed by other US deportees.
“Men deported from US bound and beaten in Equatorial Guinea detention hotel”
Punishment for speaking out
Detainees believe the men were beaten for telling press and human rights advocates about poor conditions and violence at the hotel. They now fear retaliation.
Thirty Americans trapped
About 30 US deportees remain stuck at Hotel Bamy with no legal status, no ties to Equatorial Guinea, and no way to leave. The US has sent at least 66 people from African countries, Cuba and Brazil there.
Seven point five million dollar deal
Equatorial Guinea received 7.5 million dollars as part of a Trump administration agreement to accept deportees the US cannot legally send home due to torture risks.
No medical care or supplies
Detainees report 24/7 armed guard surveillance, no medical care, and no fresh clothes since arrival. One man with a severe hernia requiring hospital drainage has been unable to see a doctor.
Beating followed video release
On September 11, Soliman and Birhane were beaten after a Reuters video showed guards pointing guns at deportees. Police shouted 'Where is the phone?' as they attacked the men.
“Where is the phone? Where is the phone!”
Soliman filmed the abuse
Soliman captured video of authorities pointing guns at deportees and forcing people onto planes to Ethiopia, where they face torture. He also filmed officers ignoring a Cuban man's request for his confiscated phone.
Twelve returned to danger
At least 12 deportees have been sent back to their home countries by Equatorial Guinea, where they face persecution. The UN warned in May that this violates international human rights law.
Phones confiscated, lawyers blocked
Since the beating, police have searched detainees' rooms for cellphones and confiscated them. Lawyers have been barred from visiting, and authorities told remaining deportees they may never see Soliman or Birhane again.
Soliman's green card revoked
Soliman, 31, is a gay Egyptian man who lived in Phoenix with a green card. A judge ruled he would face persecution and torture in Egypt due to his sexuality, but he was deported anyway.
Birhane lost refugee status
Birhane, 47, came to the US as a refugee at age 13 but lost status after a robbery conviction in high school in 1988. A judge had ruled he faced torture in Eritrea.
US ignores embassy warnings
Lawyers sent multiple emails to the US embassy in Equatorial Guinea documenting threats and violence against detainees. The embassy has not responded to any of them.
“This is a human rights catastrophe”
The one thing
The US is sending people it cannot legally deport to third countries where they have no protection, and at least two have been violently punished for documenting abuse.
