OUTRAGE AT SWAZI LAWYER’S JAILING

Thulani Maseko, the lawyer for Swazi opposition leader Mario Masuku, appeared in magistrates’ court today (3 June 2009) charged with sedition.

Reports circulating in Swaziland say Maseko was whisked away early this morning from his home at Bhunya, 21 km outside of the Swazi capital Mbabane, dragged to court under heavy police guard, and charged with sedition. He has now been remanded in custody at Sidwashini Prison, Mbabane, to the High Court.

Maseko is the lawyer for Mario Masuku, the President of the People’s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO), who has been on remand in jail since November 2008 on sedition charges. Masuku was originally arrested under the Suppression of Terrorism Act.

It is alleged Maseko told a May Day rally that the two people who died in a failed attempt to bomb a bridge near one of King Mswati III’s palaces should have the bridge named after them.

In a statement PUDEMO said the arrest of Maseko had been expected for the past two weeks as he was a successful human rights lawyer in Swaziland.

Maseko had an important victory against the Swazi state when he won a High Court ruling that the Swaziland Government should honour its constitutional commitment to provide free primary school education for all Swazi children. The government refused to comply with the ruling.

PUDEMO said, ‘It is a known fact that the state does not like Maseko because of his uncompromising stance against human rights abuse in Swaziland.’

Maseko is a well respected lawyer around the world and recently travelled to the United Kingdom at the invitation of the country’s Foreign and Commonwealth Minister, Lord Malloch-Brown to discuss human rights in Swaziland.

Maseko is the coordinator and founder member of Lawyers for Human Rights in Swaziland, chairperson of the National Constitutional Assembly, former Secretary General of PUDEMO, a founder member of the Swaziland Association of Students and a former president of the Students Representative Council at the University of Swaziland.

PUDEMO condemned Maseko’s arrest as did the Swaziland Solidarity Network, South Africa Chapter, (SSN) which called it ‘a pathological knee jerk reaction from a crumbling royal banana state led by a schizophrenic King. It is a violent manifestation of its internal crisis of legitimacy and a growing obsolescence.’

SSN said, ‘As the world is enlightened regarding his intolerance to political criticism, the practice of random arrests and dispersion, authoritarian legislation and growing state imposed media censure, Mswati has chosen a rigid and confrontational path. He is unable to deal with the democratic movement inside the country. He has rejected the path for peace, negotiations and dialogue. This un-acceptable situation cannot be tolerated anymore. Either we act now or we anticipate a colossal chaos that will make the recent Zimbabwe crisis like a Sunday picnic.’

SSN is to protest this Friday (5 June 2009) at 12.30pm at the Braamfontein Centre, Jorrissen Street Johannesburg, South Africa.

SUPPORT FOR FREE SWAZILAND GROWS

Support for democracy in Swaziland is spreading throughout the world.

This week comes news that a new campaign group has been set up in Finland to raise awareness of the problems in Swaziland and to develop solidarity work in liaison with the Peoples’ United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO) and the Swaziland Solidarity Network.

The formation of the new group came after the documentary Without the King was shown at a private movie theatre in Helsinki.

According to a report posted on the Swaziland Solidarity Network forum, about 50 people attended the event, which was followed by a full discussion on the situation in Swaziland.

The event was organised by the Finnish Peace Committee, Swaziland Solidarity Network and the Finnish non-governmental research and solidarity organization CRASH.

The new group says there are plans to arrange other events to raise the issue of Swaziland, in part to build public awareness and activism on it in Finland, but also to put pressure on Finnish foreign policy decision makers in Finland to boycott the Swazi regime and argue for pressure to be brought on the Mswati dictatorship by the European Union and other intergovernmental forums.

The Finnish group joins other solidarity groups across the world, including those in the United Kingdom, Denmark, Canada, and various parts of Africa.

FIND NEWS AND VIEWS ON SWAZILAND

Last week I received a private email from a media freedom activist asking me which blogsites on Swaziland he should be following to keep abreast of the continuing fight for democracy.

There is an increasing number of blogsites about the kingdom, but most of them are not about public affairs. Instead they are written by people who are travelling through Swaziland or who are in the kingdom with a volunteer organisation such as the US Peace Corps or churches.

These sites are not written for a general audience and are mostly aimed at the writer’s friends and families. They have little concern for the general reader. You can read examples here and here.

The most visited site on freedom in Swaziland is the Swaziland Solidarity Network (SSN) forum. At the last count it had 684 members and the forum is updated several times a day.

The SSN also has a site based in Canada that has been operating for more than three years that holds a collection of articles and reports on Swaziland.

The banned political party, People’s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO) has started its own website. It hasn’t been operating for long and is still being built. The Swazi Government wanted to close it down, so it must be worth reading.

Libambe Lingashoni describes itself as a journal with a vision ‘One world, one people.’ It says, ‘We see a new Swaziland where all human beings shall be equal before the law.’ It says it is a monthly journal, but the site hasn’t been updated since October 2008.

Caroline in Swaziland is Canadian videographer who was working in Swaziland to produce videos for several non-profit organizations, including the Swaziland Action Group against Abuse, an organization that is trying to fight abuse through counselling, education and women's empowerment programs.

Among the blogsites available on Swaziland is my own Swaziland Elections 2008, which as the name suggests, has a collection of information and comment about the elections in Swaziland held last September.

Among recently-created blogsites (which don’t always get updated that often) are

Phansi Mswati Phansi, which takes a satirical swipe at King Mswati III and purports to be written by the king, ‘I am a king and don't care for my subjects.’

S1ka Media is written by Sikelela Dlamini, and ‘carefully identifies, reflects on, explores, interrogates, and unpacks some uncomfortable socio-political topics/issues confronting contemporary Swaziland’.

Stanley Talks was set up by Stanley Mkhwanazi, a Journalism and Mass Communication graduate from the University of Swaziland, as ‘a commentary on a variety of issues such as media, business, tourism, social , personal development, observations and experiences’.

Tinchapheli ‘is dedicated to the people, young and old, who fight oppression in Swaziland and the world over’.

The Young People’s Division is to help ‘youth overcome all challenges they might be exposed to’.

Apologies to anyone I have left out. If you know of other sites that should be on the list please let me know.

SUPPORT FOR SWAZI US AMBASSADOR

I wrote earlier today (21 January 2009) that Maurice Parker, the US Ambassador to Swaziland declared that his embassy would work with groups who are campaigning to bring democracy to the kingdom.

He said many Swazi pressure groups have had trouble organising meetings, ensuring freedom of speech, or pursuing the right to assembly freely.

His statement has prompted a response from the South Africa chapter of the Swaziland Solidarity Network, which has issued a press release with six key demands it has for change in Swaziland.

Here is the press release in full.

SSN PRESS RELEASE

21 January, 2009

SSN WELCOMES THE CALL BY THE USA TO SWAZILAND MAURICE PARKER FOR SWAZILAND TO DEMOCRATISE

The Swaziland Solidarity Network [SSN] welcomes the call by the US Ambassador to Swaziland Maurice parker for Swaziland to democritise, when he said "the inauguration of President Barack Obama is a strict call for Swaziland to fully democratise. He said his embassy would work with pressure groups to ensure that the fledging democracy is fulfilled in the country. Parker said many of the pressure groups have had trouble organising meetings, ensuring freedom of speech, or pursuing the right to assembly freely" Swazi Observer 21-01-2009. The SSN is equally humbled by the urgency the Swaziland question is now receiving particularly by the African National Congress [ANC] in its 2009 election manifesto when it says: "Spare no energy in our efforts to find urgent, democratic and lasting solutions to the situation in Zimbabwe, Swaziland, Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Western Sahara, Somalia and other countries".

This come when the SSN has embark on a diplomatic offensive against the Tinkhundla Swaziland Regime. This diplomatic offensive program began by a 12 pages briefing document to the chairperson of SADC HE President Kgalema Motlanthe. As we write this statement we have visited 8 embassys in South Africa of which all are from the SADC region to expose the current situation in Swaziland that include the arrest of PUDEMO president comrade Mario Masuku.

The SSN calls for King Mswati to take this advice seriously by implementing the following people's demands:

1. Unbanning of all political parties now!
2. Freedom of speech and association!
3. The lifting of the 1973 Kings decree!
4. The immediate release of PUDEMO President comrade Mario Masuku!
5. An end to political persecution!
6. The unconditional return of all exiles!

Issued by the Swaziland Solidarity Network South African chapter- [SSN]

For more information contact:

Phindile Kunene- SSN-Head of Communications

079 964 9262

SWAZI GROUPS CONDEMN KING’S WAR

Swaziland organisations are lining up to condemn the war Swazi King Mswati III has declared on his own nation.

At the centre of the assault on democracy is the Suppression of Terrorism Act 2008. Last Friday the illegally-appointed Swazi Prime Minister Barnabas Dlamini declared four political formations to be ‘terrorist’ organisations. The legislation gives authorities unlimited powers to name and declare virtually anyone or anything to be a terrorist entity. Police do not need warrants to search homes of people suspected to have links with what the state defines as ‘terrorists’.

The first victim of the clampdown was Mario Masaku, president of the Peoples’ United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO). He appeared in court yesterday (17 November 2008) on a charge that he spoke in favour of terrorism at a funeral held in Swaziland.

The use of the Suppression of Terrorism Act has been roundly condemned by pro-democracy organisations in Swaziland.

The latest to join the chorus is the Law Society of Swaziland. In a statement its president Cyril Maphanga said the way the legislation was being applied gave the impression that it was being used to silence dissenting voices and outlaw political associations that are critical of the government.

‘Its most ominous and insidious effect is that it abrogates most of the fundamental rights of ordinary individuals protected under Chapter III of the constitution including freedom from arbitrary search and entry of a person’s premises, the right to privacy and the right to personal liberty and property,’ the statement said.

The lawyers said the legislation was so vague it rendered even innocent undertakings to be susceptible to certification as terrorism. ‘The act purports to give the executive authority such wide powers to certify and declare any person, group, trust, partnership, firm, association or institution including non-governmental organisation or anything for that matter, to be a terrorist group or terrorist entity,’ the lawyers said.

The society said the legislation gave authorities unlimited powers to name and declare virtually anyone or anything to be a terrorist entity. ‘Once declared such an “entity” the law then takes away the common law and constitutional rights of the individual by prescribing its own “limited” process for appealing to the Attorney General and for reviewing the minister’s decision to the courts under conditions where the individual has no proper due process and may not even be allowed access to the evidence relied on to certify him or her a “terrorist entity”,’ the lawyers said.

Also joining the condemnation of King Mswati’s declaration of war is the Swaziland Federation of Trade Unions (SFTU). The SFTU Secretary General Jan Sithole criticised the king’s public declaration of war against his own people.

The SFTU said His Majesty King Mswati III was king over all of his people, irrespective of their affiliation, belief and status in life.

Other organisations to already criticise the war on terror include PUDEMO, The Swaziland Solidarity Network, the Swaziland Coalition of Concerned Civic Organisations and the Congress of South African Trade Unions.