Human rights defenders call for solidarity amidst Eswatini ‘chaos’

Following the assassination of prominent Swati lawyer Thulani Maseko, human rights defenders in South Africa and Eswatini have called on the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) to intervene amid escalating political crisis in the latter country.The Southern Defenders have urged the region to set up a task force to ensure a swift and independent investigation into the killing as well as that King Mswati III be held accountable for ongoing arbitrary arrests, extrajudicial killings and violations of human rights.The group convened in Windhoek this week alongside the SADC organ, the Troika Summit, attended by South African president Cyril Ramaphosa and his Namibian and Zambian counterparts Hage Geingob and Haikinde Hichilema.Eswatini, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Lesotho and Mozambique were the four hotspots that featured on the Troika Summit agenda, with the growing tension and political unrest becoming a grave concern for SADC leadership.The group of activists further called on the region to stand in solidarity with the people of Eswatini as well as those seeking justice for the slain Maseko, who was gunned down on 21 January.Maseko’s death came hours after King Mswati III issued a warning to those pushing for democratic reforms, and in light of this, activists are calling on the Eswatini government to allow for an internationally supported independent investigation into the killing.Gravely concerned“Southern Defenders is gravely concerned that the killing of Maseko signifies an increasingly dangerous deterioration of the political crisis in Eswatini. It is terrifying to observe the monarch clamp down on the people it is meant to serve and protect."Eswatini is a member of SADC and signatory to its treaty.”They further called for the release of all political prisoners as well as a refrain from arbitrary arrests, the detention of activists and the excessive use of force to disperse protestors, and a multi-party state.jemima@namibiansun.com

Human rights defenders call for solidarity amidst Eswatini ‘chaos’

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Namibian Sun 2025-05-09

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Human rights defenders call for solidarity amidst Eswatini ‘chaos’

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Namibian Sun 2025-05-09

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