AMNESTY PRAISES MARIO MASUKU

The following is a speech made at the ceremony to present Mario Masuku, president of the People’s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO) with a Democracy Award, in Denmark, earlier this month (March 2010).

It was made by Lars Normann Jørgensen, general secretary of Amnesty International in Denmark.

Amnesty International has for many years criticized the widespread persecution of opposition in Swaziland, and has within the past year, been particularly concerned about the consequences of the terrorism legislation, the government introduced in 2008. It is the organization's view that certain provisions of the legislation are clearly contrary to the human rights.

Amongst other things the act has caused random arrests of some Swazi people, mistreatment of detainees, and taken legal actions without a sufficient evidence base.

Mario Masuku was charged after one of these provisions, and his party PUDEMO was one of the four organizations that were declared illegal after the terrorism legislation.

In September last year, Mario Masuku was completely acquitted because the court did not found enough evidence from the prosecution's allegations. Amnesty International congratulates Mario Masuku on the acquittal, and hope that it could pave the way so there in the future will be less arbitrary arrests based on bad unsubstantiated accusations.

Simultaneously, the organization will continue to put pressure on the Swazi Government to remove those provisions that undermine legal security for political activists, journalists and the citizens of Swaziland. Amnesty International hopes that the prize given by Swaziland Democracy Watch will help to promote that development.

Lars Normann Jørgensen, general secretary in Amnesty Denmark

SWAZILAND DEMOCRACY WATCH

Support for the pro-democracy movement in Swaziland is growing around the world.

The latest news is from Europe, where a group calling itself Swaziland Democracy Watch Denmark launched last month after about 500 people attended a photographic exhibition at a festival in Copenhagen that featured what the organisers called the ‘strong and fighting Swazi people the and freedom fighter Mario Masuku’ (the President of the banned People’s United Democratic Movement - PUDEMO – who is in jail in Swaziland awaiting trial for sedition).

According to Swaziland Democracy Watch, which is made up of school students, a large majority of guests became full supporters of Masuku and PUDEMO’s fight for a multiparty system in Swaziland and many of them wrote greetings to send to Masuku.

‘It was a very successful presentation’, said Marie Hvelplund, a member of Swaziland Democracy Watch. ‘Many people were enthusiastic to show their support for Masuku.’

Swaziland Democracy Watch will in the near future send these greetings to Masuku in jail. ‘It is our opinion that the freedom fighter, Mario Masuku, should not be in prison and denounced as a terrorist. We think that the future of Swaziland should be decided by the people and not by one man, the king,’ said Hvelplund.

‘A lot of people said to me, that before they came to this festival, they didn’t know anything about Swaziland,’ said Anne Bech, a member of Swaziland Democracy Watch. ‘Many were shocked by the conditions in Swaziland, and they couldn’t imagine living in a country with a dictator like this king, Mswati III.’

In future Swaziland Democracy Watch says it aims to put Swaziland on the political agenda in Denmark and get politicians to take responsibility for the actions of the European Union and subsequently put pressure on the government of Swaziland.

‘This is necessary for our case, in order to make the king realize that his actions will not take place unnoticed. Furthermore we collaborate with progressive democratic movements in Swaziland, to help them in their struggle against the present despotic monarchy.’

For more information on Swaziland Democracy Watch click here.