The Swaziland Solidarity Network (SSN), which is also banned in Swaziland, where King Mswati III rules as sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch, and political parties are not allowed to contest elections, reported, that Sifiso Mabuza, the Deputy Secretary of Siteki Branch of the Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT), appeared at Siteki Magistrates Court on Wednesday (12 November 2014) and was remanded back into custody until 24 November 2014.
The Swazi Observer newspaper, which is in effect owned by
King Mswati,
reported Mabuza was charged with contravening the Suppression of Terrorism
Act (STA).
The newspaper said Mabuza was charged with supporting the People’s
United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO) and the Swaziland Youth Congress (SWAYOCO),
which it described as ‘terrorists groups’. The charge said Mabuza was in possession of 87 pamphlets of
SWAYOCO, and 71 pamphlets of PUDEMO.
PUDEMO is one of a number of organizations that are making a
legal challenge to the STA to have it declared unconstitutional. The case is
expected to be heard in Swaziland High Court in December 2014.
In the past people have been charged under the STA for a
number of alleged crimes, including carrying banners displaying the names of
banned organisations, wearing berets or T-shirts with slogans written on them,
and praising individuals who have stood up for democracy.
The STA
was introduced in November 2008 following an attempted bombing of the Lozitha
Bridge, near one of the King’s 13 palaces in September that year.
Shortly after the STA came into force Amnesty International
and the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBA-HRI) called
for its immediate repeal or amendment.
More recently in June 2014, the United States withdrew
preferential trade rights from Swaziland because, among other things, it had
not amended the STA.
They said in a statement that the Swazi Government warned of
heavy penalties for ‘associating’ with certain groups, which had been declared to
be terrorist ‘entities’ under the law. They said this was ‘contributing to an
atmosphere of uncertainty and of intimidation amongst a wide range of civil
society organizations’.
The statement read, ‘Amnesty International and the IBA-HRI are gravely concerned that key provisions in this anti-terrorism law are inherently repressive, breach Swaziland’s obligations under international and regional human rights law and are already leading to the violation of the right to freedom of expression, association and assembly.’
The statement read, ‘Amnesty International and the IBA-HRI are gravely concerned that key provisions in this anti-terrorism law are inherently repressive, breach Swaziland’s obligations under international and regional human rights law and are already leading to the violation of the right to freedom of expression, association and assembly.’
The statement also said the offences under the STA were ‘defined
with such over-breadth and imprecision that they place excessive restrictions
on a wide range of human rights – such as freedom of thought, conscience and
religion, freedom of opinion and expression, freedom of association and freedom
of assembly – without adhering to the requirements of demonstrable
proportionality and necessity.’
See also
POLICE INTIMIDATION CONTINUES
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