Amnesty International has raised alarm over the indefinite hunger strike of Roberto Mosquera del Peral, a Cuban national deported from the United States to Eswatini in July 2025, who is protesting his ongoing detention at Matsapha Correctional Centre. The organization’s Regional Director for East and Southern Africa, Tigere Chagutah, described the situation as a clear example of the human cost of secret transfer arrangements and unlawful detention without due process.
Chagutah urged Eswatini’s authorities to immediately facilitate a medical evaluation for Mosquera by a qualified health professional in accordance with medical ethics, and to guarantee confidential access to lawyers and family members for all detainees. Amnesty International also called on both Eswatini and the United States to be transparent about the terms of the transfer agreement under which the detainees were sent.
Reaffirming international legal principles, Chagutah emphasized that no individual should be transferred to a country where they face a real risk of serious human rights violations, including unlawful detention. Such transfers, he warned, violate the international principle of non-refoulement. Amnesty International called on the Eswatini authorities to either release Roberto Mosquera and the 13 other detainees immediately or present lawful grounds for their detention before a competent court.
