Mphandlana Shongwe, a
political activist charged with treason and sedition in Swaziland for among
other things chanting the names of banned political parties, has been on bail
for twelve years awaiting trial.
His case highlights how the kingdom ruled by King
Mswati III, sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch, harasses dissenters.
Shongwe, aged 57, has been
reporting to police once a month as part of his bail conditions. He also had to
pay E6,000 bail money. He is accused of committing treason in 2006 and sedition
in 2009. His 2006 charge arises from a period when there were a number of
lighted bottles of petrol thrown at government and official buildings. The 2009
case involves Shongwe allegedly shouting ‘Viva Pudemo!
Viva Swayoco!’ at a public meeting. The People’s
United Democratic Party (Pudemo) is a prodemocracy political party. The
Swaziland Youth Congress (Swayoco) is Pudemo’s youth wing. Both are banned in
Swaziland under the Suppression of Terrorism Act.
Political parties are
banned from taking part in elections and the King appoints the Prime Minister
and government ministers.
Shongwe told the Times Sunday, an independent newspaper
in Swaziland (8 April 2018), ‘I have been travelling to Manzini Police Station
for the past 12 years to show face that I’m still around. This is injustice at
its worse form.’
Shongwe, who has the
nickname ‘Victim’ and was a founding member of Pudemo has history as a
political activist.
In a profile
published in March 2016, Peter
Kenworthy wrote, ‘Along with eleven other activists, including PudemoPresident
Mario Masuku, Victim was arrested and charged with treason in 1990.
‘Amongst the charges was
conspiring to form a political party with a military wing with the intention of
overthrowing King Mswati’s hand-picked government, organising trade unions and
holding political meetings where overthrowing this government was discussed.
‘But as several prosecution
witnesses claimed that their statements had been made under threats, and other
prosecution witnesses’ statements seemed rehearsed, the judge ruled that any
treasonable or subversive activities had not been proved.
‘Victim was given a six
month-sentence, for a couple of minor charges, instead of the yearlong
sentences that the prosecutor had called for. And instead of crushing the
movement, the trial had given Pudemo and Victim a public face both in Swaziland
and beyond.
‘The High Court had also
proved that there was no armed insurrection being planned by Pudemo, but that
the organisation was simply concerned with bringing true democracy to
Swaziland.
‘As he had already been in
jail for this duration, Victim was released immediately.’
Kenworthy added, ‘“It was
that trial that registered the people’s movement, and from thereon we have been
in and out of courts but never looked back”, Victim says of the importance of
the trial.
‘Another effect of the
trial was that the state increased the victimisation of Pudemo leaders.
President Mario Masuku was dismissed in the local bank he had worked in for 18
years, Victim was expelled from college, and many others suffered a similar
fate.
‘In fact it only took a
couple of weeks for the police to detain Victim again, this time on consecutive
detention orders without him and his two co-detainees being told what the
charges against them were.
‘The trio went on a hunger strike that only ended after several weeks of agony, a royal pardon, and after Victim had suffered from heart failure and was told by a doctor that he could easily die.
‘The trio went on a hunger strike that only ended after several weeks of agony, a royal pardon, and after Victim had suffered from heart failure and was told by a doctor that he could easily die.
‘Since the hunger strike,
Victim has been in and out of prison and has been constantly harassed and on
occasion beaten up and tortured by the police. He has also remained unemployed
because of his Pudemo activism.
‘In 1994 he was arrested
for demonstrating peacefully against the government, and became an Amnesty
International Prisoner of Conscience. In 2006 he was beaten unconscious by
police under interrogation and dumped in a hospital bleeding profusely. In 2009
he was arrested for shouting slogans wearing a Pudemo t-shirt, and charged with
terrorism. And the list goes on,’ Kenworthy reported.
In 2010, Shongwe was one of
four activists arrested
just before they were due to speak
at a May Day rally at the Salesian Sports Ground. Police said they arrested the
four because it was a function especially for workers and the speakers being
were not workers.
Shongwe, one of the leaders
of the Swaziland Democracy Campaign, said at the time he was subjected to house
arrest. He said after being interrogated for two hours, he was taken to his
home where he was warned to remain indoors. He said he was ordered to make a
statement in writing, explaining why he attended the Workers’ Day because he
was not a worker. The four were taken to the Manzini Regional Police
Headquarters. A police spokesperson said the four were not charged but were
held for questioning.
Mphandlana Shongwe
See also
MAN IN JAIL 10 YEARS AWAITING TRIAL
VICTIM OF CIRCUMSTANCES
ARRESTED FOR BEING
UNEMPLOYED
SWAZI DEMOCRACY LEADER IN
COURT
ARMED POLICE INVADE
FREEDOM SUMMIT
BARBARIC POLICE AT
WORKERS' DAY
https://swazimedia.blogspot.co.uk/2010/05/barbaric-police-at-workers-day.html
No comments:
Post a Comment