Mbabane, Eswatini — The sentencing Tuesday in Eswatini of two former members of parliament to lengthy prison terms on charges of terrorism marks a significant escalation in the tensions between the monarchy and those advocating for democratic reform in the southern African nation. Human rights groups condemned the convictions, saying the court decision raises questions about human rights and political repression. Pro-democracy activists say they are undeterred.
The convictions of Mduduzi Bacede Mabuza and Mthandeni Dube, who were sentenced to prison terms of 25 and 18 years respectively, sent shock waves throughout Eswatini and the international community.
The two men were arrested in July 2021 during pro-democracy protests that were violently put down by security forces, leaving dozens of people dead. Demonstrators were pressing for reforms to a complex system of non-party elections that ensured Eswatini's ruler, King Mswati the third, faced no meaningful dissent.
Rights group Amnesty International urged Eswatini authorities to immediately quash what it called "the unjust and baseless convictions and sentences of the former members of parliament."
Alpheous Nxumalo, a spokesperson for the Eswatini government, told VOA's English to Africa Service the convictions were "discharged through the provisions of the law, which guarantees the rights of each and everyone who has been sentenced to appeal to a higher court." He added that Eswatini's international partners and friends should respect the country's sovereignty and rule of law.
Thantaza Silolo, a spokesperson for the Swaziland Liberation Movement (SWALIMO), told VOA that despite the harsh sentences handed down by the Eswatini High Court, the country's pro-democracy movement remains resolute in its pursuit of democratic reform.
"These MPs were strong inside the chambers of parliament and outside in calling to say we need a prime minister that is elected by the people, not a prime minister that is being appointed by the King and for that reason, they were sentenced, they were arrested and charged with heinous offenses as if they were criminals, they were murderers and terrorists," Silolo said. "Yet, these are just advocates for change. These are just people who have been calling for freedom and we maintain as a movement that ... we will continue to push for their release."
Political analyst Sibusiso Nhlabatsi sees the sentences as a major setback for democracy and human rights in Eswatini. She said the sentences are a classic example of "guilty until proven innocent," with mere allegations being enough to secure a conviction.
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"You can see that the intention was to induce fear and I think most of Emaswati will now live in that shadow of fear -- we don't want to do what these people did and even members of parliament will say we don't want to do what the other members of parliament did because we might follow suit," Nhlabatsi said. "I think through this judgment the state has successfully entrenched itself. It has successfully been able to threaten anyone who may want to raise a voice against the establishment."
According to human rights activist Lucky Dlamini, the harsh sentencing of the MPs signals a wider attack on democracy and human rights in Eswatini. He said the country is a dictatorship, with the monarchy using state security forces to suppress dissent and violate fundamental human rights.
"We remain under a cruel system of government which is an absolute monarchy where there's immunity [for] the security forces against human rights activists and political activists and human right defenders, where they cannot be able to access justice in the courts, where they cannot be able to hold on to demonstration, where they cannot exercise freedom of the right to political participation, the right to freedom of expression, the right to freedom of access to the media, the right to freedom of assembly," he said.
A lawyer for the two former MPs said they plan to appeal their sentences.
