US STUDENTS BACK JAILED SWAZI WRITER

Journalism students at the University of Maryland in the United States are planning to publicize the jailing of Swaziland journalist Bheki Makhubu by launching a line of bracelets baring his name.

By selling the bracelets they hope to raise money for the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), a media freedom group.

Makhubu, the editor of the Nation magazine in Swaziland, is serving a two year jail sentence for contempt of court with fellow writer and human rights lawyer Thulani Maseko. The pair were convicted after they wrote and published articles critical of the Swazi judiciary.

The imprisonment caused an international outcry and earlier in March 2015 Maseko was put in solitary confinement in prison after a letter he wrote from his jail cell thanking supporters was published on the Internet.

The students hope to produce 10,000 bracelets in a project called Press Uncuffed. Makhubu is one of nine imprisoned journalists from across the world whose name will appear on the bracelets.

See also

JAILED WRITER IN SOLITARY CONFINEMENT

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2015/03/jailed-writer-in-solitary-confinement.html

SUPPORT FOR JAILED SWAZI JOURNALISTS

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2015/03/support-for-jailed-swazi-journalists.html