Swaziland came 50th
out of 54 African countries for participation and human rights in a survey just
published. It has got worse over the past five years.
The Mo Ibrahim Foundation reported its Index of African
Governance on Monday (20 November 2017). Swaziland which is ruled by
King Mswati III as sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch, scored a total 48.9
out of 100 in a range of four areas of governance. Swaziland got a score of 24.6
out of 100 in participation and human rights.
The annual report did not
detail the kinds of human rights abuses taking place in Swaziland but these
have been well documented elsewhere.
The United States State
Department in its annual
report on human rights in Swaziland published in 2017 stated, ‘The
principal human rights concerns are that citizens do not have the ability to
choose their government in free and fair periodic elections held by secret
ballot; police use of excessive force, including torture, beatings, and
unlawful killings; restrictions on freedoms of speech, assembly, and
association; and discrimination against and abuse of women and children.’
It added, ‘Other human rights problems included
arbitrary killings; arbitrary arrests and lengthy pretrial detention; arbitrary
interference with privacy and home; prohibitions on political activity and
harassment of political activists; trafficking in persons; societal
discrimination against members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and
intersex community and persons with albinism; mob violence; harassment of labor
leaders; child labor; and restrictions on worker rights.’
Human
Rights Watch in its report on events in Swaziland in 2016 stated Swaziland,
‘continued
to repress political dissent and disregard human rights and rule of law
principles in 2016. Political parties remained banned, as they have been since
1973; the independence of the judiciary is severely compromised, and repressive
laws continued to be used to target critics of the government and the king
despite the 2005 Swaziland Constitution guaranteeing basic rights.’
In May 2017 the global
charity Oxfam named Swaziland as the most unequal country in the world. The
report called
Starting With People, a human economy approach to inclusive growth in Africa
detailed the differences in countries between the top most earners and those at
the bottom.
In 2014 the United States withdrew
trading privileges from Swaziland under the Africa Growth Opportunity Act
(AGOA) because the kingdom had not fulfilled all the requirements of the
programme, including respect for human rights.
The US
wanted Swaziland to implement the full passage of amendments to the
Industrial Relations Act; full passage of amendments to the STA; full passage
of amendments to the Public Order Act; full passage of amendments to sections
40 and 97 of the Industrial Relations Act relating to civil and criminal
liability to union leaders during protest actions; and establishing a code of
conduct for the police during public protests.
Amnesty International in April 2015 renewed its criticism
of Swaziland for the ‘continued persecution of peaceful political opponents and
critics’ by the King and his authorities using the Suppression of Terrorism Act
and the Sedition and Subversive Activities Act.
It said the Swazi authorities were using the Acts, ‘to
intimidate activists, further entrench political exclusion and to restrict the
exercise of the rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful
assembly.’
See also
SWAZILAND
QUIZZED ON TERROR LAW
SWAZI
HUMAN RIGHTS RECORD KILLS AGOA
SWAZI
TERROR LAW COURT CHALLENGE
SWAZI GOVT FAILS ON POVERTY: OXFAM
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