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Wednesday 31 May 2017

‘ARMY AMONG MOST CORRUPT IN WORLD’



Swaziland’s army is one of the most corrupt in the world, according to a report published by a Swazi newspaper. 

There was no oversight of the Umbutfo Swaziland Defence Force (USDF) as the army is known, according to rankings made by the government defence organisation.org, a division of Transparency International, according to the Times of Swaziland. 

The Times reported, ‘There is no formal provision for effective and independent legislative scrutiny of defence policy. While the Constitution provides for a Parliament and freedom of speech to parliamentarians, the legislature is neither independent nor constitutionally in charge of defence scrutiny.’

The Times added the report, ‘further highlighted that the country did not have an identifiable and effective parliamentary defence and security committee (or similar organisation) to exercise oversight.’

The Times which is the only independent daily newspaper in the kingdom also reported, ‘Swaziland is an absolute monarchy where the King has final authority over all branches of government. Although parliament includes both appointed and elected members and a prime minister, international observers have concluded that the September 2013 parliamentary elections did not meet international standards - it can, therefore, not be considered independent. US State Department reporting notes authorities have failed at times to maintain effective control over the security forces.

‘There is nonetheless a Parliamentary Portfolio Committee for the Ministry of Defence that reviews the budgets and performance reports of the ministry.’

The King is in effect the head of the USDF.

The USDF is responsible for external security but also has domestic security responsibilities, including protecting members of the royal family. According to numerous annual reports on human rights in Swaziland published by the United States State Department the USDF, along with police and correctional officers ‘were susceptible to political pressure and corruption’.

As recently as April 2017 corruption in army recruitment in Swaziland was exposed with at least 40 recruits expelled during basic training.

Among allegations circulating in newspapers in the kingdom was that top army officers were bribed. Families were reported to have sold livestock and other belongings to get their men in uniform.

The Swazi News reported that corrupt practices had been known about for several years, but this was the first time that recruits had been expelled.

The Times of Swaziland reported that about 40 recruits were shown the exit door from the Umbutfo Swaziland Defence Force (USDF) Infantry School in Mbuluzi. It said recruits had failed to prove that they used the legal route to be recruited into the military.

The Swazi Observer reported the army said action was taken following complaints from throughout Swaziland ‘about abnormalities which happened during the recruitment exercises’.

In February 2017, during the recruitment drive it was reported that several men who tried to cheat during exercises were tortured by army personnel. The Army was recruiting 495 additional soldiers from across the kingdom, ruled by King Mswati III, sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch.

See also

ARMY TORTURES RECRUITMENT CHEATS

Tuesday 30 May 2017

‘NO TERROR THREAT IN SWAZILAND’


There are no known terrorist groups operating in Swaziland, but even so the government has banned several local organisations as terrorist groups, a new report from the United States has revealed.

Police see no difference between protestors and bystanders and will fire teargas and rubber bullets at close range to disperse protestors.

These insights were contained in a report from the United States Department of State Bureau of Diplomatic Security, just published. It is aimed at American diplomats in Swaziland.

The report assessed the Swaziland capital Mbabane as a ‘low-threat location for political violence’. It stated, ‘In 2016, there were no acts of terrorism in Swaziland and no known terrorist organizations. Through the Swazi Suppression of Terrorism Act of 2008, the government deemed several local political organizations as terrorist groups.’

Swaziland is ruled by King Mswati III as an absolute monarch. Political parties are banned from taking part in elections and the King choses the Prime Minister, cabinet ministers and senior judges among others.

In September 2015, Amnesty International reported the Swazi government continued to use ‘repressive laws, including the 1938 Sedition and Subversive Activities Act (SSA Act) and the 2008 Suppression of Terrorism Act (STA) as a tactic to silence its critics and suppress their rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly.’

It added, ‘Critics of Africa’s last remaining absolute monarchy, who regularly advocate for the opening up of the political space in the country and the respect for human rights, are put in jail or face other forms of harassment, including persecution and surveillance. The government is also misusing its criminal justice system to criminalize and stigmatise their activities, imposing charges like contempt of court or sedition.’

The report from the United States called Swaziland 2017 Crime & Safety Report also said civil unrest in Swaziland was limited to public protests. It added,Civil servant demonstrations and strikes are fairly common. These demonstrations, which are widely advertised in local media, are usually in response to labor/political disputes.’ 

It said, ‘When a demonstration is pending, the Royal Swaziland Police Service (RSPS) is called out to monitor. Americans are cautioned to stay away from demonstrations, as the police use non-lethal force to control and disperse protestors; teargas and rubber bullets (shot at close range) are the most common forms of crowd control. Police have also shot warning shots in the air to disperse protestors. 

‘Police do not distinguish between bystanders and protestors, and the possibility of becoming a collateral casualty should be of concern to anyone in proximity to a demonstration.’

See also

NO AMNESTY IN ‘TERROR’ CASES

NO LET UP IN SWAZI POVERTY

CRIME THREAT CRITICAL: U.S. REPORT

Monday 29 May 2017

SWAZI POLICE ‘TORTURE’ INQUIRY

A United Nations group is investigating the use of torture by police in Swaziland.

It comes as another suspect alleges he was tortured while in custody and had to have hospital treatment.

Swaziland ratified the United Nations International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) in 2004 and its initial report on progress was due by 2005, but 13 years later it has failed to report. After such a long delay, the Human Rights Committee (HRC) has scheduled a review of the kingdom in the absence of report. This review will take place in July 2017.

In a wide-ranging document the HRC poses a number of questions to the Swazi Government which was not elected by the people but hand-picked by King Mswati III who rules Swaziland as sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch.

On the use of police torture HRC asks the government, ‘Please state whether torture is specifically criminalized in the State party, with appropriate  penalties, and provide information on whether an independent body exists to investigate complaints and prevent abuse and ill-treatment by law enforcement officials.’

The inquiry also asks for information on the permissible grounds for deprivation of liberty and there is a way to address instances of unlawful arrest or detention.

HRC says, ‘Please also provide information on the rights of persons in police custody, including their right to have access to a lawyer, the stage at which a suspect is allowed access to a lawyer and the maximum period of detention before an individual is brought before a judge.’

It asks for data on the number of law enforcement officials that have been: (a) investigated; (b) prosecuted; (c) convicted or acquitted; and (d) punished, and the nature of the sanctions imposed.

The inquiry comes as Suspected killer Lucky Matsenjwa told a court in Swaziland he had been tortured by police so badly that he needed hospital treatment. The Observer on Saturday newspaper (27 May 2017) reported he had been taken to hospital in neighbouring South Africa for treatment.

In March 2017, police were alleged to have suffocated Elangeni alleged serial killer and rapist Vusi Kunene with a tube to coerce him to confess to the crimes. The Times of Swaziland reported at the time, ‘According to Dlamini, the interrogation and torture by the police lasted for 11 days before he was brought before a magistrate to record a confession.

‘He was allegedly not only suffocated and tortured but was also assaulted all over the body.  As a result of the assault, Dlamini reportedly sustained serious injuries in some parts of his body.’

There are numerous reports of police torture in Swaziland. In January 2017, local media reported police forced a 13-year-old boy to remove his trousers and flogged him with a sjambok, to make him confess to stealing a mobile phone. 

In September 2016, women were reportedly ambushed by armed police and ‘brutally attacked’ by police during a strike at the Plantation Forest Company, near Pigg’s Peak. 

In June 2016, a United Nations review panel looking into human rights in Swaziland was told in a joint report by four organisations, ‘In Mbabane [the Swazi capital], police tortured a 15-year-old boy after his mother had reported him for stealing E85.00 (US$6). The boy alleges that he was beaten with a slasher (metal blade tool for cutting grass) and knobkerrie (club) for five hours. While enduring the pain, he alleges that he was made to count the strokes aloud for the police to hear. Instead of being charged, the boy was physically assaulted and made to sit in a chair for thirty minutes before he was sent back home.’

The report was submitted to the United Human Rights Council Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review of Swaziland by the Swaziland Multi-Media Community Network, Swaziland Concerned Church Leaders, Swaziland Coalition of Concerned Civic Organisations and Constituent Assembly – Swaziland.

They also reported the case of Phumelela Mkhweli, a political activist who died after an alleged assault by police after they arrested him. 

The report also stated, ‘In April 2011, a 66-year-old woman was confronted by three police officers regarding the wording on her t-shirt and headscarf. The police allegedly pulled off her T-shirt, throttled her, banged her head against the wall, sexually molested her, kicked her and threw her against a police truck.  

‘The US Department of State reported on many allegations of torture and ill-treatment by police; including beatings and temporary suffocation using rubber tube tied around the face, nose, and mouth, or plastic bags over the head,’ the report stated.  

See also

‘HORROR TALE OF SWAZI POLICE TORTURE
POLICE ‘BRUTALLY ASSUALT’ WORKERS
KING’S PAPER SUPPORTS POLICE TORTURE
MORE POLICE TORTURE IN SWAZILAND
http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2013/01/more-police-torture-in-swaziland.html