More organisations
within Swaziland and internationally have joined the chorus of support for the
two ‘prisoners
of conscience’ who have been jailed on remand accused of contempt of court
for criticising the judiciary in magazine articles.
Human rights lawyer Thulani Maseko and Bheki
Makhubu, editor of the Nation
magazine, were sentenced
to seven days in jail ahead of a court hearing scheduled for 25 March 2014.
They are accused of contempt of court for criticising judges, including the Swazi Chief Justice Michael Ramodibedi, for the way they handled a court case involving Government Chief Vehicle Inspector Bhantshana Gwebu.
They are accused of contempt of court for criticising judges, including the Swazi Chief Justice Michael Ramodibedi, for the way they handled a court case involving Government Chief Vehicle Inspector Bhantshana Gwebu.
It was CJ Ramodibedi himself who jailed the two men, described by
Amnesty International as ‘prisoners of conscience’. No hearing was heard in open
court and Maseko and Makhubu were
denied proper legal representation.
The US
Embassy in Swaziland said it had ‘deep concern’ about the arrest of the two
men and added it strongly supported the democratic principles of freedom of speech,
freedom of expression and freedom of the press.
The Law
Society of Swaziland said Makhubu and Maseko were irregularly arrested and
detained on the instruction of the chief justice. It also criticised the
summary manner in which the two were dealt with subsequent to their arrest.
In a statement it said, ‘It is the view of the Law Society that every
citizen of Swaziland is entitled to the due process of the law which entails
the right to legal representation, equality before the law, right to appear in
a open court before an impartial judicial officer, a right to a fair hearing, a
right to administrative justice and a right to personal liberty, including the
right to bail as provided in terms of the provisions enshrined in the
Constitution of Swaziland and the founding principles of natural justice.’
Members of a number of progressive organisations attended court last
week to support the two men, described by Ditshwanelo, The Botswana Centre for Human Rights, as ‘two human rights
defenders’. These included the Swaziland Association of Teachers (SNAT), the
Trade Union Congress of Swaziland (TUCOSWA), the Swaziland Coalition of
Concerned Civic Organisations (SCCCO), the Media Institute of Southern Africa
(MISA), the Coordinating Assembly of Non-Governmental Organisations (CANGO) and Lawyers for Human Rights Swaziland (LHRS).
Meanwhile, the international organisation Reporters Without Borders (RWB) said, ‘The arbitrary arrests of Maseko and Makhubu
are the latest examples of the persecution that awaits anyone voicing the least
criticism of Swaziland’s institutions.’
Lucie Morillon,
head of research and advocacy at RWB, said, ‘In a country where the only voices
tolerated are those of King Mswati and his government, how much leeway do
journalists have to cover and comment on local news developments? None.’
Morillon added, ‘The
detention orders that the chief justice himself issued, without any respect for
Swaziland’s legal standards, are blatant violations of freedom of expression,
motivated by a desire for personal revenge. We call on the authorities to free
these two men at once.’
Freedom
House also called for the immediate release of Makhubu and
Maseko. It said, ‘The Kingdom
of Swaziland must uphold the basic rights and freedoms of its citizens and put
an end to its sustained campaign to suppress its citizens’ basic right to
freedom of expression.’
It added, ‘These
arrests, indictments and imprisonment constitute a direct violation of the
Swaziland constitution’s section 21, which guarantees a fair trial and the
section 24, the right to freedom
of expression.’
The Committee
to Protect Journalists (CPJ) Africa
Program Coordinator Sue Valentine said in a statement, ‘These arrests make a
mockery of Swaziland’s constitution, which is supposed to uphold freedom of
expression.’
The International Commission for Jurists (ICJ) said that both men ‘appear to be detained for exercising their right of freedom of expression’.
The International Commission for Jurists (ICJ) said that both men ‘appear to be detained for exercising their right of freedom of expression’.
Also calling
for the release of the accused are the
SADC Lawyers Association, the Southern
Africa Litigation Centre and the Law Society of South Africa (LSSA).
See also
AMNESTY ATTACKS SWAZI JUSTICE
SUPPORT FOR HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS
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