Mr. Dong speaks in a public debate in a Juba hotel on 22 June 2013.

Human Rights Watch has urged Kenyan government to “halt deportation proceedings against” a detained South Sudanese human rights lawyer.

Dong Samuel Luak, who was detained on Monday, is being held at a Nairobi police station.

Mr Luak has been denied access to legal counsel, and is subject to a deportation order, according to the rights defender.

“Dong Samuel Luak has been a vocal advocate for human rights in South Sudan for many years, and could face serious mistreatment if returned to South Sudan,” said Leslie Lefkow, HRW deputy Africa director.

HRW argues that Mr Luak is a refugee and Kenyan authorities “should respect his rights, allow him access to legal counsel and United Nations refugee officials, and immediately halt any deportation proceedings against him”.

He left the country after he said he received death threat messages in August 2013 while tackling a high-profile court case.

Mr. Luak, who was one of the 17 lawyers representing former SPLM Secretary General Pagan Amum in his case against President Salva Kiir, left the country after he said senior security officers had warned him against being part of Mr. Amum’s defense team.

In October 2015, he was attacked and wounded in the Kenyan Capital, Nairobi, by unidentified assailants.

For 11 years (from 2002 to 2013), Dong held the position of secretary-general of the South Sudan Law Society, an NGO focused on promoting justice, human rights, and the rule of law.

“Dong Samuel Luak is at serious risk of arbitrary detention, torture, and other abuses if returned to South Sudan,” Lefkow continued.

“Kenyan authorities need to respect their obligations under international and Kenyan law and ensure he is protected.”

Kenyan law, the 1951 Refugee Convention, and the regional African Union treaty on refugees prohibit refoulement, the return of a refugee “in any manner whatsoever” to a place where their life or freedom would be threatened.

Read the full HRW report here.