Labour Members of the European Parliament are
calling on the European Union to re-think its preferential trade agreements
with Swaziland because of the kingdom’s poor record on human rights.
This follows news that Swazi human rights lawyer and
writer Thulani Maseko has been placed in solitary
confinement in jail after a letter
he wrote from his cell was published on the Internet and social media.
Maseko and Bheki Makhubu, the editor of the Nation, monthly magazine in Swaziland,
are serving two years in prison after writing and publishing articles critical
of the kingdom’s judiciary.
In a statement
the European Parliamentary Labour Party said the EU must act ‘against
intolerable human rights abuses in Swaziland’.
It said, ‘The situation of Swazi trade unionists and
human rights activists has been deteriorating in recent years and was further
worsened by the decision of the government to ban all workers’ and employers'
federations in October 2014.’
Richard Howitt MEP, Labour's European spokesperson
on human rights, said, ‘The deeply worrying and deplorable human rights abuses
in Swaziland documented by the Robert F Kennedy Center for Justice and Human
Rights should be a wakeup call to the EU. Countries in receipt of EU trade
preferences, such as Swaziland, must understand the sacredness of human rights
and free speech.
‘As such, the EU must act as the confident and
reforming voice that it is and not turn a blind eye on trade to those who turn
a blind eye on human rights.’
David Martin MEP, Socialists and Democrats Group
spokesperson on international trade, said, ‘Human rights and labour rights
should be at the heart of EU external policy including trade.’
Jude Kirton-Darling MEP, member of the European
Parliament international trade committee, said, ‘The EU grants trade
preferences to countries like Swaziland in order to incentivise governments to
deliver human and labour rights.
‘What this latest abuse in Swaziland shows is that
this policy of incentives has failed. If the EU want to be serious about human
rights, it is high time we get serious about our criteria for granting trade
preferences.’
Swaziland has already lost preferential trade tariffs
with the United States under the Africa Growth Opportunities Act (AGOA)
because of its refusal to embrace democratic reforms.
King Mswati III, rules Swaziland as sub-Saharan
Africa’s last absolute monarch. Political parties are banned from taking part
in elections and all groups advocating for multiparty democracy in the kingdom have
been banned as ‘terrorists’ under the Suppression of Terrorism Act. King Mswati
appoints all members of the government and the judiciary.
See also
JAILED
WRITER IN SOLITARY CONFINEMENT
SUPPORT
FOR JAILED SWAZI JOURNALISTS
No comments:
Post a Comment