Armed police broke up a prayer meeting at a cathedral in
Swaziland without a court order or a warrant.
And, they contravened the Swazi Constitution in doing so.
About 60 police officers broke up the prayers at the Our
Lady of Assumption cathedral in Manzini on Saturday (16 February 2013). Police spokesperson Inspector Khulani Mamba
said they were acting on information that the prayers were a meeting to plan to
disturb forthcoming national elections.
“When we see a crime happening, we don’t need a court
order,” Mamba told local media.
The prayer meeting was organised by the Swaziland United
Democratic Front (SUDF) and the Swaziland Democracy Campaign (SDC).
Human rights lawyer Mandla Mkhwanazi said the police
action violated the kingdom’s constitution which guaranteed freedom of
religion.
Police regularly break up meetings in Swaziland without
court orders or warrants and have in effect became arbiters of who can and
cannot meet.
In 2011, a reported 250 police forced a prayer meeting at
the Lutheran Church to be cancelled. Police at the time said they banned the
prayer ‘using their own discretion’ under the Public Order Act of 1963.
In August 2011, armed police invaded the Swazi High Court
to break up a meeting of lawyers who gathered to discuss their on-going
campaign to get Michael Ramodibedi, the Swaziland Chief Justice removed from
office.
Police routinely break up peaceful demonstrations
organised by progressive movements, such as the Swaziland Youth Congress (SWAYOCO) and the African United Democratic Party (AUDP).
In April 2011 armed police blocked off the city of
Manzini to stop people entering to take part in a prodemocracy protest. Police also picked up people and drove them into the countryside where they
were abandoned to make their own way home. This was to prevent them taking part
in political action.
In May 2010 the Swaziland Prime minister Barnabas
Dlamini, who was not elected to office, but personally-appointed by King Mswati
III, sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch, made it clear that he was in
charge of the kingdom’s police force and would use it against democracy
activists.
Dlamini, who has an international reputation as an enemy
of freedom and democracy, was explaining why dozens of police invaded
the funeral of democracy activist Sipho Jele.
Officers tore up pictures of the deceased man and
confiscated banners belonging to opposition group, the People’s
United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO).
Dlamini said police would break up gatherings and make
arrests even if no crime had been committed. The police just needed to believe
that a crime might be committed.
Dlamini told the meeting that police suspected crimes
would be committed at Jele’s funeral so they broke it up.
Dlamini’s remarks at a gathering of the kingdom’s senior
media people contradicted comments by Swaziland Commissioner of Police Isaac Magagula
that the police were a service to the people of Swaziland and would treat
people as ‘clients’
and with respect.
See also
POLICE SAY PRAYERS WERE POLITICAL
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