MBABANE:Penuel Malinga, the Secretary General(SG) of the People’s United Democratic Movement(PUDEMO) has, on behalf of the political organization, released a statement condemning the sentencing of pro-democracy Members of Parliament(MPs) Mduduzi Bacede Mabuza and Mthandeni Dube.
The MPs were sentenced by royal linked Judge Mumcy Dlamini on Monday afternoon for demanding democratic reforms.
“This verdict is not just a travesty of justice but a stark display of inhumanity and a grave miscarriage of justice. Bacede Mabuza and Mthandeni Dube are innocent individuals who have been unjustly dragged through a kangaroo court process, where fairness and due process were conspicuously absent. Their sentencing is a clear indication of political persecution aimed at stifling dissent and suppressing the voices of those who dare to speak out against injustice.PUDEMO categorically asserts that the imprisonment of Bacede Mabuza and Mthandeni Dube is a flagrant violation of their human rights and a gross abuse of power by the authorities. The draconian sentence imposed upon them serves as a chilling reminder of the repressive tactics employed by the regime to silence opposition and maintain its grip on power,”reads the statement in part released by the political organization.
Eswatini is ruled by Mswati as an absolute Monarchy,political parties are banned from participating in elections while human rights defenders,political activists and pro-democracy MPs are arrested and convicted,tortured or even killed for demanding democracy.
Convicted pro-democracy MPs Bacede Mabuza and Mthandeni Dube.