STATEMENT: Right2Know Campaign says “reverse” Swazi judgment now!
Issued by the Right2Know Campaign, 21 July 2014
The Right2Know Campaign condemns the Swaziland High Court’s judgment handed down last Thursday which found journalists Bheki Makhubu and Thulani Maseko guilty of “scandalising the judiciary”. This follows their arrest and detention in March this year after they wrote a series of articles critical of the Swazi judiciary.
The arrests led to widespread international outrage and prompted a protest by R2K campaign outside the Pretoria Headquarters of the Swaziland embassy to South Africa. Despite being released shortly thereafter, the journalists were rearrested and thrown into detention where they have been for the last 115 days.
While the sentence has not yet been handed down, it is expected that the journalists face having to pay an exorbitant fine or spend up to a year in prison. Effectively this means that Swaziland’s premier journalists will not be allowed to practice their craft without fear of arbitrary sanctions. This forms part of the growing restrictions on free speech imposed by the Swazi government which has jailed journalists, harassed members of the opposition and silenced political dissent.
The consequences of this latest judgment for Swaziland’s media freedom and rule of law itself cannot be overstated. Undoubtedly it will chill whatever free speech remains in the country as the space for dialogue and engagement closes down.
The right to publish, assemble, speak and think are intricately linked and are central to democracy.
R2K calls on all South Africans, including members of Chapter 9 institutions, the South African judiciary, legal fraternity, workers unions and the government to pressure the Swazi government into honoring its obligations to protect human rights. The injustice of the charges against Bheki Makhubu and Thulani Maseko is a threat to justice for journalists across the region and the continent itself.
—–ENDS—–
For further comment contact:
R2K National spokesperson: Murray Hunter (Cell: 072 672 5468)
R2K Media Freedom & Diversity spokesperson: Jayshree Pather (Cell: 082 413 5621)
