The recent sentencing of former Members of Parliament in Eswatini, Mduduzi Mabuza and Mthandeni Dube, to 85 years and 58 years of imprisonment is questionable.
Development Diaries reports that Mabuza and Dube were convicted under the Suppression of Terrorism Act of 2008 and the Sedition and Subversive Activities Act of 1938.
These sentences are a stark reminder of the draconian measures employed to silence voices of dissent in the southern African country.
The charges of inciting unrest during the pro-democracy protests in June 2021, followed by their convictions for terrorism, sedition, and murder on 01 June, 2023, after nearly two years of arbitrary detention, highlight the lengths to which authorities will go to suppress peaceful activism and the fundamental rights of its citizens.
The sentencing of Mabuza and Dube is not only a violation of their freedoms but also a blatant attack on democratic principles and the rule of law.
These actions by the Eswatini authorities demonstrate a worrying disregard for international human rights standards and a deliberate effort to stifle political opposition and civil society engagement.
Their continued imprisonment undermines the credibility of the judicial system and further erodes trust in the government’s commitment to uphold justice and human rights.
It must be stated that the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly and fair trial rights are guaranteed by the Eswatini constitution and human rights treaties, including the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to which Eswatini is a state party.
It is imperative that Eswatini respects the rights to freedom of expression, assembly, and association, and releases all those detained for exercising these fundamental freedoms.
Development Diaries calls on the Eswatini authorities to rescind the convictions and sentences of Mabuza and Dube and uphold citizens’ rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly in the country.
We further support Amnesty International’s demand that the government repeals the Public Order Act, the Sedition and Subversive Activities Act, and the Suppression of Terrorism Act (STA), all of which have been weaponised to stifle dissent and peaceful protests.
Source: Amnesty International
Photo source: Amnesty International
