Eswatini‘s human rights records appear questionable following the reported attack on a former Member of Parliament (MP), Mduduzi Mabuza.
Development Diaries reports that Mabuza was beaten by correctional services officers on Friday, 29 September, 2023.
The Eswatini police arrested Mabuza alongside Mthandeni Dube, both former MPs, in July 2021, amid a sweeping and violent crackdown on peaceful pro-democracy and anti-police protests.
Both former MPs, who are also activists, are accused of being involved in terrorism, sedition, and murder, and they are to be sentenced in December 2023.
They have endured numerous beatings while in custody and have been refused access to a lawyer and medical assistance, according to reports by Amnesty International.
The Eswatinian administration has increased its crackdown on dissenting views since May 2021 protests for democracy first started, detaining critics of the government on false accusations, interfering with peaceful protests, and opposing calls for democratic reforms.
Furthermore, the government has failed to carry out a thorough, unbiased, and independent investigation into the killings and other human rights abuses brought on by the security forces’ excessive use of force.
Eswatini’s authorities frequently utilise torture and other cruel treatment against prisoners despite having ratified the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights in 1995 and the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment in 2004.
Torture is a grave violation of human rights, inflicting immense suffering and undermining the fundamental principles of dignity, equality, and freedom that should be upheld for all individuals.
Eswatini is ranked ‘not free’ in the 2023 Freedom in the World report by Freedom House, with the country scoring 17 out of a possible 100.
Development Diaries calls on the Eswatini authorities to respect the human rights of citizens, carry out a thorough investigation into the reported attack on former Mabuza, and bring those responsible to justice.
Photo source: Eswatini Newsroom
