(From Swazi Media Commentary 4 June 2010 www.swazimedia.blogspot.com)
Freedom
House has condemned the ‘alarming deterioration’ in human rights in
Swaziland.
It calls
the arrest of Mario Masuku,
president of the banned People’s
United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO), for
publicly saying the name of his political party, ‘frivolous’.
Freedom House, the democracy
watchdog organization that supports democratic change, monitors the
status of freedom around the world, and advocates for democracy and
human rights, says in a statement
that the arrest is a violation of Masuku’s civil liberties ‘and a
further indication of an alarming deterioration in the political
environment in Swaziland’.
The statement goes on, ‘Swaziland,
Africa’s last absolute monarchy, has banned political parties since
1973. Mr. Masuku’s arrest occurred immediately following the funeral of
PUDEMO member, Sipho
Jele, who was found hanging from rafters in a
prison toilet three days after being imprisoned for wearing a T-shirt
with a PUDEMO logo. Although the Swazi authorities informed Mr. Jele’s
family that he had committed suicide, injuries visible on the corpse
raised doubts about the cause of death. Mr. Jele had participated in a
Freedom House civil society workshop in 2009.
‘“It is clear the political situation in
Swaziland continues to be dangerous for anyone opposing the regime. In
light of what happened to Sipho Jele, we are obviously very concerned
about the safety of Mario Masuku,” said Paula Schriefer, director of
advocacy at Freedom House.
‘Harassment of Swazi civil society has
increased of late, including an attempt by Swazi police to prevent two
civil society leaders, Musa Hlophe and Jan Sithole, from entering South
Africa en route to Germany at the invitation of Bread for the World.
‘Swaziland is ranked Not Free in Freedom
in the World 2010, Freedom House's survey of political rights and
civil liberties, and Not Free in Freedom of the Press 2010.’
For more information on
Freedom House and Swaziland, visit: Freedom
in the World 2009: Swaziland Freedom
of the Press 2009: Swaziland
Link
http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2010/06/alarming-deterioration-of-rights.html
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