MALABO — Equatorial Guinea is facing renewed international attention following the detention of an Egyptian man deported from the United States after he spoke publicly about the treatment of migrants being held in the country.

According to Reuters, Ahmed Soliman was taken into custody and was being held incommunicado after criticizing the tactics used by local security forces during an incident involving deportees in Malabo. Another deportee was also reportedly arrested.

The incident follows an earlier confrontation in which security forces reportedly pointed guns at migrants at a hotel where 31 deportees were being held. Reuters reported that the confrontation was connected to a dispute over confiscated mobile phones.

The developments have attracted concern from lawyers and human-rights organizations, which are seeking information about Soliman's safety and whereabouts. They have also raised broader questions about the transparency and safeguards surrounding agreements that allow the United States to transfer deportees to third countries.

Equatorial Guinea's government had not publicly commented on Soliman's reported detention at the time of Reuters' September 11 report.

The case is now becoming a significant international story for Malabo as attention focuses on the treatment of foreign nationals transferred to the country and the responsibilities of authorities overseeing their detention.