POLICE MURDER THREAT CONDEMNED

The Swaziland Solidarity Network (SSN) has condemned Swazi police for threatening to murder a suspect of recent petrol bottle attacks.

It also condemned in the ‘strongest term possible’ that senior police have refused to investigate the case.

News broke yesterday (27 June 2010) that Swazi police had threatened the life of Brian ‘Slovo’ Shaw and told his mother to get a coffin and mourning gowns ready because they would kill Shaw if they found him.

SSN said in a statement, ‘This is a serious case of emotional harassment on an innocent elderly citizen and it cannot go unpunished’.

SSN said Shaw was one of the surviving 15 suspects who are out on bail following their apprehension by the police in 2005 in connection with a series of petrol bottle attacks.

‘He is also one of the nine amongst these who complained in court about the constant torture that the police were meting out on them. This behaviour by the Swazi police is not new as they allegedly also tell the parents of other exiled activists that they will only return to Swaziland in coffins. The mother of the late Deputy President of PUDEMO, Dr Gabriel Mkhumane, was also subjected to these inhumane remarks way before he was murdered in mysterious circumstances in April 2008.’

Swazi police have denied the threats against Shaw took place and are not investigating the matter.