MBABANE: EmaSwati for Change (EFC), a human rights and advocacy organization formed by Swazis based in the United States(US), has submitted an urgent application to the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court(ICC) Mr Karim Khan, urging him to investigate the ongoing extrajudicial killings in the Kingdom of eSwatini.
The application was submitted at the ICC offices in the Hague, Netherlands on Thursday.
Among others, the organization is also calling for an independent and credible investigation into the assassination of human rights lawyer Thulani Rudolf Maseko.
In a press statement sent to this Swaziland News on Thursday evening, Saneliswa Magagula, the EmaSwati for Change Spokesperson said as an organization, they were concerned with the ongoing grave and full-frontal assault on human rights, including the reign of terror waged by the eSwatini Government’s security forces on unarmed and innocent citizens.
The organization said, these extrajudicial executions were manifesting with the aid of and/or collaboration between the Government of eSwatini and South African citizens from a company known as Bastion Security.
“While the ICC would ordinarily have no jurisdiction over eSwatini because of its non -signatory status to the Rome Statute, EFC has highlighted to the Prosecutor that the involvement of, use and collaboration with citizens from South Africa – a signatory of the Rome Statute – in the atrocities taking place in eSwatini provides a solid legal pathway for the ICC to intervene in terms of international law.
EFC has been documenting every single case of the ongoing extrajudicial executions and has provided the Prosecutor with a dossier containing unassailable evidence of crimes against humanity taking place in the country with the full condonation of the eSwatini authorities. EFC stands ready to provide the ICC prosecutor with further information necessary to ensure that the eSwatini authorities and the South African nationals involved are held accountable,”reads the press statement in part.
On another note, King Mswati is under international pressure amid refusal to engage in a political dialogue, to pave way for democratic reforms.
The fresh submission to the ICC by the EmaSwati for Change, complements broad-scale advocacy efforts to have the eSwatini regime isolated and sanctioned by the international community.
The ICC offices.