US deportees to Equatorial Guinea were arrested and beaten by police, lawyers say

Two men deported from the United States to Equatorial Guinea were allegedly subjected to police violence after being arrested and detained in a hotel-turned-prison, according to their lawyers and human rights groups. Ahmed Soliman, an Egyptian national, and Samson Birhane from Eritrea, are among over 40 individuals deported under a $7.5 million deal between the U.S. and Equatorial Guinea's President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo.

The two men were reportedly arrested on September 11, accused of breaking a mirror, and later beaten by police while their heads were covered with bags. Human rights advocates claim the arrests were retaliation for the men raising alarm about their detention conditions and police violence. The hotel in Malabo, where the detainees are held, has been described as overcrowded and inhumane, with reports of officers confiscating phones and threatening detainees.