Masuku, who suffers from diabetes, needs weekly medical treatment, but authorities at Matsapha Maximum Security Prison are refusing him help.
According to a report on the Swaziland Solidarity Network (SSN) Forum, Masuku has constant blackouts because his diet is not monitored and he is not provided with snacks between meals to deal with his medical condition.
He also has tooth problems and has requested to be seen by a dentist, but this request has also been refused by the prison authorities.
Masulu, president of the banned Peoples’ United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO), said he refused to ask for bail because he knows the state uses bail to keep dissidents in perpetual bondage outside prison. ‘They will give me bail at an exorbitant fee with difficult conditions such as taking my passport and to report at the police station twice a week. They will not take the case to trial for many years making me a prisoner in the street. Let them try me and prove my innocence in court. I haven't committed any offence but I have spoken for the rights of my people,’ he said.
Masuku also spoke out against Barnabas Dlamini, Swaziland’s illegally-appointed prime minister, who said that supporters of political organisations will be dismissed from public sector employment.
Masuku called upon trade unions in Swaziland and the world to come to the support of those affected. ‘This is an infringement of the freedom of association as a basic human right enshrined in the UN Universal Declaration of Rights,’ he said.
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