MBABANE:Prime Minister(PM) Russell Mmiso Dlamini says,Government will take action against those who accuse King Mswati of killing human rights lawyer Thulani Rudolf Maseko, the Chairperson of the pro-democracy eSwatini MultiStakeholder Forum(MSF).
Lawyer Thulani Rudolf Maseko was assassinated allegedly by King Mswati on the 21st January 2023,a few hours after the King threatened those calling for democracy saying his mercenaries will deal with them.
In a public statement released on Tuesday,the Prime Minister further blasted international human rights organizations who kept on demanding justice for the assassinated lawyer adding that, these organizations kept quiet when Chief Mahloma was murdered by solidarity forces.
“Government has noted the ongoing slander against the King and Ingwenyama of the Kingdom of Eswatini, His Majesty King Mswati III, by certain individuals and human rights organizations who have continued to make unfounded allegations that His Majesty is involved in the killing of human rights lawyer, Thulani Maseko. Government also noted with disappointment the glaring disparity and selective advocacy for human rights.When Chief Mahloma was brutally murdered by the so called ‘solidarity forces’ in November 2022, no one amongst international organizations and human rights advocates advocated for the Chief or even condemned his killing. Likewise, Police who were at work manning traffic and two warders were killed with no condemnation of this barbaric act of killing innocent lives by international human rights organizations.We, therefore,take exceptional view to commentary by these biased so called human rights watchers.To this end, Government wishes to take this opportunity to caution these individuals and human rights organizations to desist from their malicious campaigns to tarnish the name and reputation of His Majesty the King.Decisive action will be taken against these people and the relevant institutions shall be approached in order for this matter to be addressed once and for all”, said the Prime Minister.
The statement by the eSwatini Prime Minister comes after this Swaziland News published a story where Tanele Maseko,the wife of the assassinated lawyer told diplomats and human rights advocates during the Magnitsky Human Rights Awards that, her husband was killed by the eSwatini ‘horrible dictator’ for using the law to fight for justice.
Zweli Martin Dlamini, the editor of this Swaziland News subsequently published articles where he was demanding that, Government and the King must account for the killing of the highly human rights lawyer.
The articles published by the editor about the assassination of the human rights lawyer triggered tension between him and Government Spokesperson Alpheous Nxumalo, after the editor accused Nxumalo of thretening the lawyer’s widow Tanele Maseko for demanding justice for her husband.
Eswatini is ruled by Mswati as an absolute Monarch, political parties are banned from participating in elections while political activists, human rights defenders are arrested, tortured and killed for demanding democracy.
Prime Minister Russell Mmiso Dlamini.