The men, identified as 31-year-old Egyptian national Ahmed Soliman and 47-year-old Eritrean national Samson Birhane, were reportedly bound, hooded and beaten before being pushed down a flight of stairs in front of other US deportees on September 11, according to witnesses and human rights lawyers.
They were later transferred to a prison in Malabo.
The alleged assault reportedly occurred after a video showing conditions at Hotel Bamy, where dozens of US deportees are being held, was made public. The detainees had reportedly been using mobile phones to communicate with lawyers and the media about their treatment.
Witnesses said police officers shouted, “Where is the phone? Where is the phone?” while beating the two men. They had initially been accused of breaking a mirror at the hotel before they were reportedly separated from the other detainees and arrested.
Human rights lawyers said about 29 US deportees remain at Hotel Bamy and are increasingly concerned about retaliation. They also alleged that police have searched detainees’ rooms for mobile phones, confiscated devices and prevented lawyers from meeting with the deportees.
The detainees have previously reported poor conditions at the hotel, including a lack of medical care and fresh clothing, while armed guards reportedly monitor them around the clock.
The US has sent at least 66 people from different countries, including African nations, Cuba and Brazil, to Equatorial Guinea under an agreement to accept deportees who cannot be returned directly to their countries of origin.
Human rights advocates have raised concerns over the arrangement, particularly because some deportees had previously been found by US judges to face persecution or torture if returned to their home countries.
Soliman, who is gay and had lived in Phoenix for most of his life, was reportedly found by a US judge to face persecution and torture if returned to Egypt because of his sexuality. Birhane arrived in the US as a refugee at the age of 13 and was allowed to remain in the country after a judge determined that he faced torture if returned to Eritrea.
Lawyers representing the deportees said they had contacted the US embassy in Equatorial Guinea several times about alleged threats and violence but had received no response.
However, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said it was no longer responsible for the deportees after they left US custody, describing Equatorial Guinea as a “safe third country.”
The allegations come amid continued legal and human rights concerns over the treatment of people deported by the US to third countries where they have no established ties.
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