Human Rights of Women
Source: Times of Swaziland
The Lawyers for Human Rights Swaziland (LHRS)has reported the country to the African Commission for disallowing the partici-pation of political parties in the 2013 elections.
This, according to LHRS Chairman Mandla Mkhwanazi, was necessitated by government’s failure to abide by a resolution taken by the African Union after it reported the country in 2005.
The LHRS had sent three delegates to the Gambia to attend the 51st Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights, held between April 12 and May 2, 2012. Mkhwanazi, speaking on behalf of the LHRS management committee, said various international and national human rights organisations had raised a concern on Swaziland’s ‘flagrant’ violations by government and its agencies.
He said the Non-Governmental Organisations Forum formed by human rights organisations such as Women and the Law in Southern Africa (WLSA), Human Rights Watch, Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa (OSISA) and others, took a resolution about Swaziland and called upon the African Commission to urge Swaziland to comply.
"The NGO Forum notes that Swaziland is a signatory to the African Union’s Charter on Human and People’s Rights, SADC Principles and Guidelines on Democratic Elections as well as signatory to other bilateral and multilateral mechanisms for the promotion of democracy and human rights. Swaziland, therefore, is duty-bound to practically observe, respect and fulfil these commitments," Mkhwanazi said.
He further said there was also a feeling that efforts to improve the atmosphere for the protection and promotion of human rights have not enjoyed genuine goodwill. He also said government has "excelled in articulating the rhetoric of commitment, but has failed the citizens in the practical implementation of human rights standards."
He said the NGO Forum called upon the African Commission to urgently intervene in the human rights and workers’ rights violations in Swaziland.
"This appeal becomes a necessity and urgent as renewed waves of repression and intimidation by Swazi authorities against workers, human rights advocates and pro-democracy activists once again came under focus during the May Day celebrations," Mkhwanazi stated in a press release.