A newspaper in Swaziland (eSwatini) in effect owned by
the absolute monarch King Mswati III has confirmed that police raids on homes
across the kingdom were to seek out political activists.
The Observer on Saturday,
part of the eSwatini Observer group, reported, ‘Police have intelligence
on state security that has required the conducting of raids at homesteads
belonging to political activists and the bringing in for interviews at their
stations of these activists who are leaders of different political groupings.’
It reported a press conference given by Royal Eswatini
Police Service National Commissioner William Dlamini after the raids on Friday
(20 December 2019).
Leaders of at least five pro-democracy groups were
taken to police stations and interrogated. All were released but phones, laptops,
tablets and other devices were kept.
Political activity in Swaziland is severely curtailed.
Parties are banned from taking part in elections and groups advocating democracy
are outlawed under the Suppression of Terrorism Act. The King rules as an
absolute monarch in a political system known as Tinkhundla.
The Observer reported Dlamini said they were
seeking ‘information’ from those questioned. It quoted him saying, ‘We’re
taking action on information that is not criminal per se.’
He said police raids on homesteads were routine in
Swaziland. The Observer reported, ‘He said had it been through their
choice, they would conduct the raids on a daily basis because that is what
assists decrease crime throughout the country.’
He denied that only political activists were raided
but there have been no reports of any people not connected with the prodemocracy
movement being taken in for questioning.
The raids were reported by media across the world. Reuters
reported, ‘Police Commissioner William Dlamini told reporters the police
had “invited some individuals to assist us in our enquiries pertaining to state
security information”’.
The Swaziland United Democratic Front, one of the
groups targeted, in a statement circulated on social media said, ‘This comes
weeks after the all progressive formations in the country resolved to unite
under the banner of the Political Party Assembly to fight against the
Tinkhundla regime. This led to the start of a campaign that was dubbed #MSWATI MUST
FALL and has since been gaining momentum and meeting equal resistance from the
autocratic regime.’
The Southern
Africa Litigation Centre in a statement said, ‘We are
concerned by the actions of the police, which appear to be targeted at those
activists who have been prominently involved in protests relating to workers’
rights and who have been promoting multi-party democracy and government
accountability in the country.’
It added, ‘We call on the government to respect its citizens’ rights to
freedom of expression, association and assembly and to end the harassment of
the leadership of political parties and trade unions. We further call on the
government to release all persons who are currently in custody because of their
criticism of the monarchy, including Goodwill Sibiya, who has been detained
since May 2019.’
See also
Swaziland
police in mass raids on homes of democracy activists, some detained
Police
question Swaziland political leader amid fears of treason charge
Swaziland
ex-Govt minister in hiding after calling on absolute monarch to hand over power
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