MISA ATTACKS SWAZILAND CENSORSHIP

Swaziland’s main media rights organisation has condemned the Swazi Government for bullying an independent newspaper the Times Sunday into dropping a regular column written by Mario Masuku, a human rights activist.

The Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) called it a ‘blatant act by the government to censor both Masuku and the Times newspaper’.

As I reported earlier this month (January 2010) Majahenkhaba Dlamini, the Attorney General, told Innocent Maphalala, the editor of the Times Sunday, he will face jail time for supporting Masuku (who the Swazi state has branded a terrorist) if he doesn’t stop publishing the articles.

Even though Masuku was acquitted of a trumped up terrorism charge in September 2009, Dlamini says the People’s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO), the organisation he leads, is a terrorist organisation.

In a letter to Maphalala the Attorney General accused him of dealing with a terrorist and in doing so ‘you and your newspaper cannot avoid being identified with the entity or its member (s).’

This is a reference to the Suppression of Terrorism Act which makes it illegal for anyone to offer any kind of support to terrorist organisations. If charged and found guilty of such an offence the editor could face up to 25 years in jail.

The MISA Swaziland chapter in a statement said it ‘strongly condemns the act by the government, and notes with great concern that the government action not only perpetuates the state of fear and censorship in the Swazi media, but also violates the basic principles of freedom of expression, a fundamental human right also guaranteed in the Swaziland constitution. The government action also greatly interferes with the editorial independence of the newspaper.

‘MISA-Swaziland has therefore appealed to the government to allow Masuku and any other Swazi citizen to exercise their right to free expression and further allow the Times newspaper to exercise its editorial independence without undue interference and threats. ‘

MISA commended the Times Sunday ‘for coming out to expose the government for its bullying action to censor the newspaper and not choose to suffer in silence’.

ANGER AT SWAZILAND CENSORSHIP

The following is a statement issued by the People’s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO), an organisation banned in Swaziland, today (5 January 2010).

PUDEMO STATEMENT ON THE BAN OF COMRADE MARIO MASUKU

FROM THE SWAZI MEDIA

We wish to address ourselves to the recent outrageous abuse of human rights by the Swazi regime.

Through the Attorney General, who happens to be a prince, the regime issued a stern instruction to the Editor of Times Sunday, a local publication, to stop publishing articles authored by the PUDEMO President [Mario Masuku]. This was an unfortunate incident indeed.

It is only a state that still languishes in backwardness and survives through oppression and suppression that can come to such a stupid decision. In modern societies, all human beings enjoy the right to freely express their opinions.

That the Swazi regime at this day and age still dictates as to who should or should not freely express their opinions is a direct challenge and an insult to the world community as represented by the United Nations Organization. An organization that unapologetically promotes the fundamental rights of humans that include the freedom to express one’s opinion. PUDEMO strongly condemns such and urge the international community to take the Swazi regime to task and be harshly disciplined for undermining the rights of its citizens.

It must be noted that this does not only undermine the rights of citizens, also the rights of the media itself. In many instances, the Swazi regime has come out to deceive its people and the world that its press is operating in a free environment, but this has proven to be an untruth! It must further be noted that this is not the first time that the press in the country has been threatened and intimidated for publishing stories and ideas that are perceived by the state to be in ‘bad taste.’

The people of Swaziland under this oppressive regime urgently need a free media that will inform as well as educate them on critical issues and situations around them. However, this is impossible in Swaziland where the media is constantly intimidated, harassed and threatened by the state.

We feel it makes no sense why the international community should still recognizes the Swazi regime as part of it when the same regime continues abusing human rights with impunity. Surely this must be condemned and the regime be disciplined for the sake of the oppressed people of Swaziland.

However, as PUDEMO we remain unfazed by this senseless ban for we know that our ideas have long permeated into all sectors of Swazi society and no amount of political trickery will by the regime will reverse the situation.

GOVERNMENT LEANS ON FREE PRESS

The Swaziland Attorney General has told one of the kingdom’s independent newspapers it must stop publishing articles from Mario Masuku, president of the banned People’s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO).

In a veiled threat Majahenkhaba Dlamini, the Attorney General, has told Innocent Maphalala, the editor of the Times Sunday, he will face jail time for supporting a terrorist if he doesn’t stop publishing the articles.

Even though Masuku was acquitted of a trumped up terrorism charge in September 2009, Dlamini says PUDEMO, the organisation he leads, is a terrorist entity.

In a letter to Maphalala the Attorney General says the Swazi Government cannot understand why the Times is supporting terrorism.

He writes, ‘This is the same PUDEMO which was declared a terrorist entity last year. The entity or anybody on its behalf has never denied or challenged the declaration.’

The Attorney General went on, ‘And there you are, giving all the publicity and support as if the entity or its members are legitimate persons. In any effort to deal with the entity or member of the entity, you and your newspaper cannot avoid being identified with the entity or its member (s).’

He said he had no doubt that the newspaper was fully aware that promoting or giving support to terrorists remained a crime in this country.

This is a reference to the Suppression of Terrorism Act which makes it illegal for anyone to offer any kind of support to terrorist organisations. If charged and found guilty of such an offence the editor could face up to 25 years in jail.

Maphalala said he would stop publishing Masuku’s articles for now pending consultation on the matter.

GOVERNMENT ATTACKS INTERNET

The Swazi Government wants to extend its censorship of the media to the Internet.

Already newspapers and broadcast media are subject to censorship (and self-censorship) by government and other organs of the ruling elite.

Now there is news that the Swaziland Attorney General Majahenkhaba Dlamini is looking to get a website from the People’s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO) closed down.

According to a report in the Times Sunday (28 December 2008), Dlamini says the website could contravene the Suppression of Terrorism Act (STA).

He didn’t tell the newspaper why he thought it did this, but as Amnesty International revealed on Thursday (8 January 2009) the definitions of ‘terrorism’ and ’terrorist activity’ in the STA are so broad that just about anything could be included: such as setting off a fire alarm as a prank.

The real reason the Swazi Government wants the website closed down is because it comes from a political party that is banned inside Swaziland. In November 2008 the illegally-appointed Prime Minister of Swaziland Barnabas Dlamini declared PUDEMO and three other political formations to be terrorist organisations. This means anyone who is a member of the organisations or offers them support could face up to 25 years in jail.

The Swazi Government cannot control what goes on the PUDEMO website at a time when international opinion is turning against Swaziland where King Mswati III rules as the last absolute monarch in sub-Saharan Africa. His wealth of 200 million US dollars contrasts to 70 percent of Swaziland’s one million population who live in abject poverty, earning less than one dollar a day. All political parties are banned in Swaziland and the parliament has no real powers. The present prime minister was appointed by the king, even though he had not been a member of the House of Assembly (a constitutional requirement).

In the past few months the Swazi Government has clamped down on dissent. Only this week Mfomfo Nkambule, a writer for the Times of Swaziland was threatened with a 20-year jail sentence if he continued to write articles deemed by the police to be critical of the king.

According to the Times Sunday report, the Attorney General said he would consult the STA to ascertain whether or not PUDEMO operated the website outside of the law and then block it from being accessed by the public.

He conceded it was not easy to block it because the Swazi Government still had to find out where the website was hosted.

To access the PUDEMO website, click here.

SWAZILAND IS NOW ‘MILITARY STATE’

The war declared by Swazi King Mswati III against his own people has turned Swaziland into a military state, it has been claimed.

The People’s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO) – one of four political formations branded as ‘terrorist’ organisations by the Swazi Government – says the kingdom is now quickly turning into a military dictatorship.

The news agency afrol reported yesterday (19 November 2008) that PUDEMO is warning that Swaziland ‘is now quickly turning into a military dictatorship, using its new terrorism legislation to deploy military police in the streets of Mbabane to chase peaceful dissidents’.

President of PUDEMO Mario Masuku has been charged with making public statements in favour of terrorist organisations. If convicted he could face jail for up to 25 years.

On Monday, Attorney General Majahenkhaba Dlamini warned that journalists who report critically against the government would be viewed as ‘supporting terrorists’ and arrested.

Afrol reports, ‘The increased oppression of Swazi dissidents came after fraudulent elections in August, King Mswati’s appointment of a new government of his choice and the recent passing of the controversial Suppression of Terrorism Act. Certain provisions of the Act empower the new Prime Minister to declare virtually anyone or anything to be a terrorist entity, something government now has started doing.’

According to afrol these developments caused the PUDEMO leadership, now mostly in hiding in South Africa, to issue a statement warning about the deterioration in Swaziland. PUDEMO says that King Mswati has implemented a military coup, now using Swazi armed forces under his firm control to oppress the people.

‘The army is out. Swaziland is now officially a military state,’ the PUDEMO statement says. ‘The army is wearing deceptive aprons written military police. No intention to protect but to throttle,’ it adds.

PUDEMO, which has been outlawed and persecuted by King Mswati at several occasions, says it is not surprised by the use of military forces to stop the Swazi democracy movement. The unleashing of the army was announced long time ago, around July, by their commander Sobantu Dlamini, PUDEMO says, referring to Mr Dlamini's public statement that it was also the aim of the army to flush out PUDEMO.