These were the conclusions of Human Rights Watch in its World Report 2016, published on Wednesday (27 January 2016).
The report stated, ‘As in
previous years, Swazi authorities severely restricted civil and political
rights. In March 2015, police beat leaders of the Trade Union Congress of
Swaziland (TUCOSWA) and the Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT)
and prevented them from holding a meeting, ostensibly because the discussions
would have included calls for multiparty democracy. Among those severely beaten
was a prominent trade unionist, the SNAT Secretary General Muzi Mhlanga.
‘The Suppression of
Terrorism Act, the Sedition and Subversive Activities Act of 1938, and other
similarly draconian legislation provided sweeping powers to the security
services to halt meetings and protests and to curb criticism of the government,
even though such rights are protected under Swaziland’s 2005 constitution. In
September 2015, eight human rights defenders challenged the constitutionality
of these security laws in the High Court of Swaziland. A final ruling has yet
to be handed down.’
It said, ‘Journalists and
activists who criticized the government were often harassed and arrested. The
Sedition and Subversive Activities Act continued to restrict freedom of
expression through criminalizing alleged seditious publications and use of
alleged seditious words, such as those which “may excite disaffection” against
the king. Published criticism of the ruling party is also banned. Many
journalists practiced self-censorship, especially with regard to reports
involving the king, to avoid harassment by authorities.
‘On June 30 [2015], the
Supreme Court of Swaziland granted an appeal by human rights lawyer, Thulani
Maseko, and editor of The Nation magazine, Bheki Makhubu, and
ordered their immediate release from prison. Maseko and Makhubu were arrested
in March 2014 for two articles they published in The Nation questioning
the impartiality of the judiciary, and sentenced to two years in prison. Civil
society groups dismissed the trial as a sham.
‘In July 2014, The Nation
and its publishers were fined an equivalent of US$9,500 by the Swaziland High
Court for publishing “seditious” information in the two articles that Maseko
wrote.
‘Authorities also barred
media from reporting on issues they deemed sensitive. For example, when scores
of young girls died in a road traffic accident on August 28 [2015] on their way
to an annual Umhlanga festival where thousands of virgins dance before the king
to celebrate womanhood and virginity, authorities blocked media reporting of
the incident. The government later said 13 people had died. Regional and
international media disputed the government’s figure and estimated the death
toll at 65.’
See also
‘OPPOSITION
TO KING IS TERRORISM
SADC
URGED TO ACT ON HUMAN RIGHTS
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