The Swaziland (eSwatini) government
and its agents committed ‘arbitrary or unlawful killings’, according to
reports, the latest United States report on human
rights in the kingdom states.
It stated, ‘There were reports that the government or its
agents committed arbitrary or unlawful killings.
‘In June police shot and
killed a man suspected for harboring prison escapees and drug dealing. There
were no reports that the suspect attacked or otherwise threatened police.
‘In early June a man was
found severely injured after being questioned by police. The man’s cousin
alleged that the man was beaten by police, and then left to die in a secluded
area some 18 miles away. Police stated that they had questioned the person,
decided not to charge him, and then gave him a ride to a nearby town. The man
died in the hospital almost two months later. REPS [Royal eSwatini Police
Service] promised to investigate, but there were no further reports concerning
any investigation or disciplinary action by year’s end.’
It highlighted cases of torture
by police. It stated, ‘During the year two officers were charged with homicide
in relation to their alleged roles in the 2015 death of a detainee during an
interrogation. Three additional officers were investigated for torture in
response to a referral from the Commission on Human Rights and Public
Administration Integrity.
‘In February the High Court
awarded 70,000 emalangeni (US$4,870) damages for pain and suffering to a man
who was assaulted by members of the UEDF [the Army] in 2003. There also were
scattered reports throughout the country of cruel, inhuman, and degrading
treatment by “community police”–untrained,
volunteer security personnel who exist outside the country’s formal legal
structures and are empowered by rural communities to act as vigilantes,
patrolling against rural crimes such as cattle rustling.
‘In August five community
police members in Sihhohweni punched, kicked, and beat a man with a broomstick
so severely that he needed to be hospitalized. The abuse was reported to the
REPS, and the community police members were arrested for assault. The
magistrate found them guilty and sentenced each to 10 months’ imprisonment with
an option of a 2,000 emalangeni (US$140) fine. In October a UEDF member was
sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment with an option of a 14,000 emalangeni (US$975)
fine for an off-duty xenophobic assault on a Mozambican national.’
Under the heading ‘Political
Prisoners and Detainees’ the report also highlighted the case of democracy
activist Goodwill Sibiya who had been in lengthy pretrial detained ‘for
criticism of the king’.
King Mswati III rules
Swaziland as an absolute monarch.
The report stated, ‘In May
activist Goodwill Sibiya
filed an application in civil court accusing the king of embezzlement and
lawlessness and demanded that he be arrested. Authorities arrested Sibiya and
charged him with belonging to a terrorist group and with violating a section of
the Sedition and Subversive Activities (SSA) Act ruled unconstitutional in 2016
by the High Court.
‘In September the High
Court ruled the government could not charge someone under a section of law that
had been declared unconstitutional. The government responded by dismissing the
SSA charge against Sibiya; however, the activist remained in prison awaiting
trial on a Suppression of Terrorism Act charge at year’s end.’
See also
No let-up in restrictions of freedom of association
and assembly in Swaziland: Human Rights Watch
Swaziland
police ‘beat teenager to death to make him confess to crime he did not commit’
Swaziland
activist who called for prosecution of King for embezzlement charged under
terrorism law
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