Old folk in Swaziland
kicked out two police spies from their Pensioners’ Association meeting.
In Swaziland, where King
Mswati III rules as sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch, public
gatherings are strictly monitored.
It happened, according to
the Times of Swaziland, the kingdom’s only
independent daily newspaper, at the Roman Catholic Church Hall, in Mbabane,
the kingdom’s capital. The meeting was for retired civil servants.
Two plain-clothed officers –
one male and on female – were spotted by pensioners attending the meeting and forced
to leave.
Chairman of the association
Osvart Sukati was reported by the newspaper on Wednesday (24 August 2017) saying,
‘I bravely kicked them out because even culturally, children are not supposed
to sit among elders when they have a meeting.’
The newspaper reported, ‘Former
District Commissioner Elliot Mkhatshwa bluntly stated that the police had sent
spies to illegally solicit information from them.’
The Swazi Observer reported the following day, ‘Chief
Police Information and Communication Officer (CPICO) Khulani Mamba said they
were surprised to learn that the police officer was chucked out of the meeting.
“It is our normal duty to be present in meetings because we are interested in
the safety and security of the state.
‘“We thought the pensioners would educate the police on what the issues
they were deliberating in the meeting and allow him to sit and listen. It’s
also not correct to say these people were sent by the commissioner as this is
our normal duty,” Mamba said.’
The Observer also reported that the pensioners had passed a resolution
demanding National Commissioner of Police Isaac Magagula be charged for
disrespecting them by sending informants to their meeting.
Swaziland has a long record for denying freedom of association and
assembly in the kingdom.
In 2016, a report
by Human Rights Watch revealed King Mswati had failed to keep a promise
made to the United Nations in 2011 to change repressive laws.
At a United Nations Human Rights Council Working Group
on the Universal Periodic Review of Swaziland, Swaziland had agreed to ‘[a]lign
the national legislation with international standards to guarantee freedom of
assembly and association, in particular as regards the notification of the
organization of peaceful assemblies’.
In a report
to the Working Group in May 2016, Human Rights Watch stated, ‘The [Swazi]
government has yet to repeal, or amend as appropriate, a number of repressive
laws that restrict basic rights guaranteed in Swaziland’s 2005 constitution,
including freedom of association and assembly. On the contrary the government
has intensified restrictions on these rights over the past four years. The laws in need of amendment include the
2008 Suppression of Terrorism Act (STA), the 1938 Sedition and Subversive
Activities Act, and the 1963 Public Order Act.
‘Police have sweeping powers under the Public Order
Act. The king’s 1973 decree banning political parties remains in force despite
repeated calls from local political activists to have it revoked. The
constitution does not address the formation or role of political parties.
Section 79 of the constitution provides that Swaziland practices an electoral
system based on individual merit and excludes the participation of political parties
in elections.
‘Traditional leaders and chiefs have powers to
restrict access to their territories, and have often used these powers to bar
civil society groups and political groups like the Ngwane National Liberatory
Congress (NNLC) and the People’s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO) from
having meetings, recruiting, or any kind of presence in their areas. In 2011
PUDEMO challenged in court the government’s refusal to register political
parties but the court said PUDEMO has no legal standing to approach the court
as it did not exist as a legal entity.
‘The Suppression of Terrorism Act (STA) places severe
restrictions on civil society organizations, religious groups, and the media
because it includes in the definition of “terrorist act” a wide range of
legitimate conduct such as criticism of government, enabling officials to use
the provisions of the Act to target perceived opponents of the government. The
government has also misused the STA to target independent organizations by
accusing them of being “terrorist” groups, and harassed civil society activists
through abusive surveillance and unlawful searches of homes and offices.
‘Individuals who have been targeted for arrest or
prosecution under the STA include the leaders of People’s United Democratic
Movement (PUDEMO) and Swaziland Youth Congress (SWAYOCO) who were arrested and
detained under the STA in 2014. Police arrested PUDEMO leader Mario Masuku in
May 2014, on terrorism charges for criticizing the government in a speech on
May 1. At the time of writing Masuku was out of jail on bail pending the
outcome of his trial. If convicted, he could serve up to 15 years in
prison.
‘Police used violence to halt May Day celebrations
organized by trade unions in May 2013. In March 2015 police beat leaders of the
Swaziland National Association of Teachers and prevented them from hold a
meeting ostensibly because the discussions would have included calls for
multi-party democracy.’
See also
RESPECT
FOR SWAZI RULE OF LAW FAILS
‘OPPOSITION
TO KING IS TERRORISM
http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2016/01/opposition-to-king-is-terrorism.html
SADC URGED TO ACT ON HUMAN RIGHTS
SADC URGED TO ACT ON HUMAN RIGHTS
HUMAN
RIGHTS WATCH ON SWAZILAND
SWAZILAND LAST ON POLITICAL FREEDOM
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