By Zweli Martin Dlamini

MBABANE: The Governing Council of the International Parliamentary Union(IPU) has adopted a decision,declaring the arrest and ongoing persecution of three(3) pro-democracy Members of Parliament(MPs) Mduduzi Bacede Mabuza, Mthandeni Dube and Mduduzi ‘Gawuzela’ Simelane unlawful.

Two(2)MPs Mduduzi Bacede Mabuza and Mthandeni Dube were arrested and subsequently convicted on politically motivated terrorism charges while Mduduzi ‘Gawzela’ Simelane fled to exile and was subsequently granted asylum and protection by the Government of the United Kingdom(UK).

But the eSwatini Government through it’s Spokesperson Alpheous Nxumalo continued to threaten MP Simelane saying, efforts would be made to grab him in UK despite the protection by the British Government.

Government Spokesperson Alpheous Nxumalo had not responded to this publication at the time of compiling this report.

The three(3) MPs were persecuted merely demanding democracy and/or an elected Prime Minister inside Parliament.

Eswatini is a tiny Kingdom situated in Southern Africa and ruled by King Mswati as an absolute Monarch,political parties are banned from participating in elections while human rights defenders are arrested,tortured or killed for demanding democracy.

Worth-noting,the MPs were arrested amid a crackdown on pro-democracy activists and human rights defenders including independent journalists, dozens were arrested while others,including human rights lawyer Thulani Rudolf Maseko who once represented the persecuted MPs, were brutally assassinated by King Mswati’s regime resulting to international condemnation.

Maxwell Nkambule, another human rights lawyer who represented political activists survived an assassination attempt at Siphofaneni,the stronghold of MP Mduduzi Gawzela Simelane, the lawyer had to flee to exile amid threats on his life.

“It is abundantly clear from the gravamen of the charges, that the accused were no way near the scene of the crime. It is the effect of what they stated that reflects what the State says is the foundation of their criminal conduct: that they encouraged people in their public statements to disobey the lawful appointment of the Prime Minister and in the process encouraged civil disobedience.But, with respect, how can civil disobedience be equated with terrorism and sedition? There was no armed insurrection, no taking up of arms with revolutionary slogans against the State, no intentional destruction of the most visible manifestations of state power. How encouraging people to disobey the government on the issue of denying the filing of petitions automatically led to arrests for terrorism without showing a direct link between rhetoric and causation is difficult to appreciate,”reads the IPU decision in part,adopted on 27th March 2024.

On another note, the decision that was adopted by the International Parliamentary Union(IPU) Governing Council, comes after the eSwatini Government tried to send a delegation to justify the politically motivated arrest of the pro-democracy MPs on terrorism charges.

The Supression of Terrorism is used against dissenting views in eSwatini, dozens of pro-democracy activists are incarcerated on fabricated or politically motivated terrorism charges and this, comes after they expressed themselves demanding democracy, others were hunted by King Mswati’s security forces and killed.