Police in Swaziland have banned a public debate to
discuss the political situation in the kingdom due to take place this afternoon
(12 April 2013).
But, organisers say it will go ahead anyway. Local embassies,
church leaders, community organisations, the local and international media are
among those invited to attend the meeting.
Police banned the meeting under the Public Order Act
(1963), even though they did not have a court order.
The public meeting was to mark the 40th anniversary of
the Royal Decree made by King Sobhuza II in 1973 that turned Swaziland from a
democracy to a kingdom ruled by an autocratic monarchy.
The three civil society activists who were due to speak
at the meeting were ordered to attend at police headquarters this morning. They
were Sam Mkhombe,
a spokesperson for the pro-monarchy political party Sive Siyinqaba; Dr Alvit
Dlamini, President of the conservative political party Ngwane National
Liberatory Congress (NNCL) and Thulani Maseko, a human rights lawyer working in Swaziland.
The Swaziland United Democratic Front (SUDF) and the Swaziland
Democracy Campaign (SDC), the joint organisers of the meeting, said that the
Deputy Police Commissioner instructed them that the meeting could not go ahead.
In an open letter to Swaziland Police Commissioner Isaac
Magagula they said they were told the meeting ‘presented a threat to national
security’.
The organisations say they were also told that King
Mswati III’s birthday celebrations next week was ‘under threat’.
They say the Deputy Police Commissioner told them it was
the responsibility of the police ‘to defend the country and that our event was
not serving the interest of the country’.
In the letter they said, ‘We had planned a small, but
peaceful, open debate to discuss the 1973 Royal Decree in Manzini this
afternoon. It was not our intention to do anything other than allow ordinary
Swazi’s to hear from distinguished Swazi leaders what the significance of the
decree is for us as Swazi’s today and how we as Swazi’s can transcend our
current political impasse. All we seek is a country that benefits our people
and not only His Majesty King Mswati III, his family and their cronies.’
The letters added, ‘On this significant day in the Swazi
political calendar the Royal Swazi Police has demonstrated in no uncertain
terms that Swaziland remains a state of emergency’.
See also
POLICE
THREAT TO DEMOCRACY DEBATE
DEMOCRACY PROTEST TO BE ‘MUTED’
SWAZILAND ‘BECOMING MILITARY STATE’
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