CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE CAMPAIGN STARTS

The Swaziland Democracy Campaign (SDC) is launching a ‘civil disobedience’ campaign in its fight for human rights.

This follows a decision by the International Labour Organization (ILO) to send a delegation to the kingdom ruled by King Mswati III, sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch, to investigate human rights violations.

SDC says today (14 June 2010) that activities will start this month and will culminate in a global march for democracy on Swaziland’s Independence Day – 6 September.

SDC says, ‘Swaziland is already not only currently visibly in a state of emergency, but the country also increasingly resembles a police/military state where the state security forces have firmly hit the panic button and engaged in erratic behaviour as they violently crack down on political dissidents courtesy of the globally-condemned Suppression of Terrorism Act (2008).

‘The defiance campaign launch happens at an interesting time when local labour federations have, alongside their international solidarity partners, successfully put Swaziland firmly in the dock in the ongoing ILO Conference in Geneva. To this end, an ILO delegation is due to begin a formal investigation of human rights violations, which, for the first time, places Swaziland’s human rights scorecard on the global radar screen.’

If the ILO finds against Swaziland’s rulers there is a real possibility that sanctions will be imposed against the kingdom.