Four men deported by US to Eswatini have right to see lawyer, court rules

The Guardian reports that Eswatini's supreme court has ruled that four men deported by the US—nationals from Cambodia, Cuba, Vietnam, and Yemen with no ties to the country—have the right to meet with a local lawyer after being denied in-person legal counsel for nine months while detained in maximum security prison. The reporting is sourced from named lawyers (Alma David, Sibusiso Magnificent Nhlabatsi) and includes direct quotes from the court judgment and government statements, demonstrating solid journalistic rigor; the bylined reporter (Rachel Savage in Johannesburg) provides ground-level reporting. Independent searches from AP, Reuters, LA Times, and Amnesty International corroborate the core facts—the court ruling, the nine-month denial of counsel, and the government's appeal of an earlier lower court order—while Amnesty International's statement characterizes the deportations as "unlawful removal," adding context about ongoing human rights scrutiny of the policy. The article notes that additional deportees have arrived in waves (5 in July, 10 in October, 4 in March) and that at least two have been repatriated, suggesting the practice is ongoing; readers should monitor whether the court order actually results in meaningful legal access and whether further deportations to third countries continue.