SITSATSAWENI:A fifteen(15)year-old boy and two adults from Sitsatsaweni were detained by the police for seven(7)days without trial for alleged stock theft.
Sitsatsaweni is situated in the Eastern parts along the Mozambique-eSwatini border.
Mlungisi Ntshangase, Meshack Mbhamali and a 15 year-old boy were allegedly grabbed and assaulted by soldiers on Thursday(30th June 2022), they stand accused of stealing cattle.
The name of the boy cannot be revealed for ethical reasons.
It has been disclosed that the soldiers subsequently handed them over to the police who detained and tortured them for seven(7)days without a charge.
Reached for comments, lawyer Maxwell Nkambule who was representing the suspects described what allegedly happened to his clients as an act of injustice.
\"They were detained for a whole week without any formal charge. As if that was not enough, they could not access their medication, families were kept on the dark and they were prevented from taking a bath for the whole week,” said the lawyer.
A questionnaire was sent to Lieutenant Tengetile Khumalo, the Army Spokesperson and Superintendent Phindile Vilakati, the eSwatini Police Spokesperson, however, both of them had not responded at the time of compiling this report.
Apart from subjecting ordinary citizens accused of wrong-doing to injustice, Human Rights Watch reported that the human rights landscape in Eswatini remain characterized by serious human rights violations, including extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, and repression of pro-democracy activists.
15 year-old, two others detained for seven days without charge.