TAKE ACTION: ask your MP to support the EDM on human rights in Eswatini/Swaziland

The human rights situation is escalating and civil society is calling for international solidarity – ask your MP to support this EDM by Kim Johnson MP.

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Dear [MP NAME],

I’m writing as your constituent to ask you to add your name to an Early Day Motion by Kim Johnson MP about the highly concerning situation of deteriorating human rights and democracy in Eswatini.

Eswatini, or Swaziland, is Africa’s last absolute monarchy. The country remains trapped in a long-running constitutional and political crisis dating back to 12 April 1973, when King Sobhuza II abrogated the 1968 independence constitution and assumed absolute control over the executive, legislature and judiciary. Executive power remains concentrated in the hands of the monarch, and Eswatini continues to be governed under an authoritarian system that denies democratic participation, with all political parties banned. The country has previously been ranked the least free country by the Ibrahim Index of African Governance. According to the International Trade Union Congress (ITUC), Eswatini ranks among the 10 worst countries in the world for workers.

One consequence of this concentration of power has been huge and growing inequality. The country has the world’s highest HIV prevalence, women experience systematic discrimination and very high rates of gender-based violence, and 63% of the population live below the poverty line. The monarch is seemingly unmoved by the poverty of the people and continues to build his vast wealth while crushing any dissenting voices.

Just last month, the country’s civil society marked 4 years since the massacre in 2021 when police opened fire on peaceful protestors killing at least 70 and injuring many more. In 2023, civil society leader and human rights lawyer Thulani Maseko was assassinated by masked gunmen in front of his family.

British Parliaments have a particular responsibility to Swaziland (Eswatini) as a former British-dependent colony until 1968. The relationship between both countries now is premised on democratic freedoms, equality and human rights that we hold dear in the UK and widely held by all Commonwealth members.

While the ruling monarch continues to fail in meeting the basic Commonwealth Charter values, the UK government must raise its concerns.

I urge you as my MP to add your name to the EDM, in order to stand in solidarity with the people of Eswatini, show the regime the international community is watching, and encourage the UK Government to raise its voice in international forums like the Commonwealth. You can find the motion here: https://edm.parliament.uk/early-day-motion/64012/democracy-and-human-rights-in-eswatini

I look forward to hearing from you,

Your constituent,

NAME and POSTCODE.