Kenya’s deportation of opposition spokesperson James Gatdet Dak to South Sudan is “a brazen and dangerous attack on refugee rights,” Amnesty International said in a statement today.

Gatdet was deported on Thursday because he was perceived to have made critical comments about the firing of the Kenyan U.N. force commander in South Sudan, according to Kenyan government officials. Gatdet was immediately whisked away by the National Security Service. Kenyan immigration officials blocked U.N. officials from meeting Gatdet at the Jomo Kenyatta International airport, according to Amnesty.

“Gatdet’s deportation is Kenya’s latest attack on refugees’ right to safety and it places Gatdet at grave risk of torture and other ill-treatment,” said Sarah Jackson, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for East Africa, the Horn and the Great Lakes.

Amnesty International also called on South Sudan's government to release Gatdet. 

Gatdet has been a recognized refugee in Kenya since August 2015.