Swaziland spent an uncomfortable time at the United Nations in May hearing organisations from within the kingdom and outside give details accounts of human rights violations committed by King Mswati III’s regime. The UN Human Rights Council was given cases involving the correctional services, police, game rangers and attacks on LGBTI people. An 11-year-old boy has been locked up in detention for ten years although he has committed no offence.
These are some of the stories contained in Swaziland: Striving for Freedom, volume 22, that contains a compilation of reports published by Swazi Media Commentary website from March to June 2016. It is available to download free of charge from Scribd.
King Mswati, who rules Swaziland as sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch is to use his subjects’ money to buy a private Airbus jet at a cost of US$13 million. This at a time when Swaziland has gone begging to the international community for cash aid to feed its population who face starvation due to drought.
The King, who will assume the chair of the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) in August, has also been misleading the world about the extent of ‘democracy’ in his kingdom. He says there are elections in Swaziland so that demonstrates its credentials, omitting to say that political parties are banned from taking part.
Swazi Media Commentary website has no physical base and is completely independent of any political faction and receives no income from any individual or organisation. People who contribute ideas or write for it do so as volunteers and receive no payment.
See also
LATEST ON SWAZI FREEDOM STRUGGLE
SWAZI KING IN WORLD’S SPOTLIGHT
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