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Laotian Man Deported by US to South Sudan Leaves for Laos After Year in Detention
South Sudan coordinated his repatriation with Laos after more than a year in detention, and five other third-country deportees remain there, officials said.
- On Thursday, 49-year-old Thongxay Nilakout departed South Sudan for Laos after spending more than a year in detention, ending an ordeal his attorney said could have been avoided.
- United States authorities deported Nilakout to South Sudan in July 2025 despite his willingness to return to Laos, though attorney Tin Nguyen noted a Lao consular officer had already issued travel documents.
- Nilakout served time for a 1995 California robbery committed at age 17 and became parole-eligible after a 2012 Supreme Court ruling found mandatory life sentences for juvenile offenders unconstitutional.
- Five third-country deportees remain in South Sudan, comprising two Myanmar nationals, two Cuban nationals, and one Congolese national awaiting potential repatriation.
- Human Rights First and Refugees International monitor the United States practice of deporting individuals to African nations, a policy involving roughly a dozen accepting countries amid concerns over human rights records.
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South Sudan repatriates Lao national deported from US - Radio Tamazuj
South Sudan has repatriated a Lao national who was deported from the United States in July 2025, the foreign ministry said on Thursday. Laos is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia. Thongxay Nilakout was among eight third-country nationals who had remained in South Sudan after being deported to the country. Foreign ministry spokesperson Ambassador Apuk Ayuel Mayen said Nilakout returned to Laos on Thursday following consultations between the S…
Coverage Details
Total News Sources19
Leaning Left7Leaning Right2Center8Last UpdatedBias Distribution47% Center
Bias Distribution
- 47% of the sources are Center
47% Center
L 41%
C 47%
12%
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