More than 50 trade unions and civil society organisations from across
the world have joined to nominate two jailed Swaziland journalists for a
human-rights award.
Bheki Makhubu, editor of The
Nation magazine, and Thulani Maseko, a human rights lawyer and writer, are
serving two-year jail sentences after writing and publishing articles critical
of the Swazi judiciary.
They have been nominated for the Pan-African Human Rights Defenders
Award which honours exceptional individuals who peacefully promote and protect
universally recognised rights.
A statement
announcing the nomination said. ‘Thulani is a human rights lawyer and a pro-democracy
activist who repeatedly defended political activists and trade unions in and
outside the courts. He represented Mario Masuku, president of the banned
opposition party, the People’s United Democratic Movement, and Sipho Jele on
their pro-democracy struggles, which the state had termed treasonable.
‘Recently, he challenged the constitutionality of the de-registration of the Trade Union Congress of Swaziland at the High Court.
‘Bheki is the editor of The Nation
magazine, a monthly periodical that is one of the few independent voices in the
country calling for government accountability and democratic change.’ Swaziland
is ruled by King Mswati III, who is sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch.
The statement continued, ‘Thulani and Bheki were arrested and detained
on 17 March 2014 and 18 March 2014 respectively for writing articles about the
circumstances surrounding the arrest of government vehicle inspector,
Bhantshana Gwebu, and the lack of integrity, impartiality and independence of
the Swaziland judiciary. After a trial with numerous flaws and irregularities
demonstrating a bias against them, both of them were convicted of contempt of
court on 17 July 2014. However, instead of the ordinary 30-day sentence, they
were sentenced to two years imprisonment on 25 July 2014, underscoring the
political (and jaundiced) nature of their trial and sentence.’
The winners of the 2014 Pan-African Human Rights Defenders Award will be
selected by an independent jury and announced at the occasion of the ordinary session
of the Africa Commission on Human and People’s Rights in Niamey in October
2014.
Among those organisations making the nomination are: Action for Southern
Africa; African Regional Organisation of the International Trade Union
Confederation; Afrika Kontakt Denmark; American Federation of Labor and
Congress of Industrial Organizations; Botswana Federation of Trade Unions; Canadian
Labour Congress; Central Organisation of Trade Unions Kenya; Congress of South
African Trade Unions; Danish Confederation of Trade Unions; Federation Of
Somali Trade Unions; International Trade Union Confederation; International
Transport Workers’ Federation; Nigeria Labour Congress; Norwegian Confederation
of Trade Unions; Sierra Leone Labour Congress; Swaziland Coalition of Concerned
Civic Organisations; Swaziland Concerned Church Leaders; Swaziland Lawyers for
Human Rights; Trades Union Congress (GB); UNI Global Union Africa; Unifor
Canada; Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions and the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO
Forum.
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