JOHANNESBURG As the scale of yesterdays violent crackdown on peaceful protestors and brutal attacks on innocent people in Swaziland becomes clearer, leaders of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) must act decisively to halt the Swazi governments campaign of terror against its own citizens.
SADC should immediately call on the Swazi government to protect citizens from further unprovoked attacks by the security services, unconditionally release all those who were illegally detained by the police and allow people to enjoy their universal rights to free association and free speech.
SADC must also call an emergency summit of the Troika on Peace and Security to condemn the repression in Swaziland and lay out the first steps of a transition towards a genuinely open and democratic society where citizens no longer fear for their rights and their lives.
The Swazi government has shown its true colours to the world it is repressive and authoritarian and only interested in its own survival, said Deprose Muchena, acting Executive Director of the Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa (OSISA). SADC cannot afford to stay silent. It must act now to reign in the Swazi government.
While some illegally detained activists and journalists have been released, many other civil society leaders remain locked up. Scores of teachers, students and other peaceful protestors bear the scars of yesterdays bloody police action. There are reports today of continuing beatings and harassment.
SADC has the power to stop this state-orchestrated violence and make the Swazi government take the necessary steps to move the country from authoritarianism and economic collapse towards genuine democracy and sustainable growth and development, said Muchena.
Along with this urgent call for action by SADC, OSISA has also sent a letter to the African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights in Banjul highlighting the abuses perpetrated by the Swazi regime and calling on the Commission to ensure that Swaziland abides by the numerous human rights treaties is has signed up to. OSISA also urged the Commission to send an official delegation to Swaziland to investigate and verify the human rights abuses carried out by the security services.
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