The global civil society alliance, CIVICUS, has renewed its call for the immediate and unconditional release of two parliament members in Eswatini.
The detainees, Mduduzi Bacede Mabuza and Mthandeni Dube, were detained on 25 July, 2021, following protests demanding political reforms and charged under the Suppression of Terrorism Act and for flouting Covid-19 regulations.
Protests have rocked Africa’s last absolute monarchy since May 2021 when students and teachers marched to vent their anger at the alleged police killing of Thabani Nkomonye, a law student at the University of Swaziland.
The political unrest soon metamorphosed into widespread calls for pro-democratic and anti-monarchical reforms.
CIVICUS said the southern African country’s authorities have been targeting journalists and stamping dissent using force on protesters.
‘CIVICUS calls for the immediate release of Mduduzi Bacede Mabuza and Mthandeni Dube, and all charges against them dropped’, CIVICUS Advocacy and Campaigns Lead, David Kode, said.
‘As MPs, it is their duty to peacefully demand democratic reform and speak out against repression; freedom of speech is not a crime. Their detention has been politically motivated, fuelled by a crisis sweeping Eswatini – they should not spend another night behind bars.
‘We urge King Mswati to come to the table and start a national political dialogue with members of the opposition and civil society leaders as soon as possible; we call on Eswatini to stop suppressing dissent and silencing protesters and urge the government to overhaul rights and democracy in the country, starting with the release of all activists and human rights defenders currently behind bars’.
It is understood that a Southern African Development Community (SADC) summit to discuss political unrest sweeping the country was due to take place on 21 July, 2022, but cancelled when Eswatini’s monarch failed to appear in person.
According to the U.S. State Department’s Eswatini 2020 Human Rights Report, authorities kept political prisoners, restricted free expression and the press, restricted political participation and engaged in serious acts of corruption.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) also noted that restrictions on freedom of association and assembly continued in the country in 2020.
Similarly, Freedom House ranked the southern African country as ‘not free’ in its 2022 Freedom in the World study of political rights and civil liberties, with Eswatini earning 17 points out of possible 100..
Source: CIVICUS
Photo source: Anthony Siame/EPA
