VIOLENT PROTESTS: UN CALLS FOR PROBE

MBABANE - The recent pro-democracy protests which culminated in vandalism, looting and loss of life have caught the eye of the United Nations (UN).

Following a regular briefing for reporters at the UN in Geneva, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) issued a statement, where it condemned the violent scenes witnessed in the Kingdom of Eswatini in the past few days. In particular, the UN has called for an investigation to be conducted to ascertain if human rights were violated. It was stated in the statement that the eruption of violence in the Kingdom of Eswatini in recent days was deeply concerning, amid reports that alleged dozens of people had been killed or injured during the protests calling for democratic reforms.

Statement

A statement was also issued later on the day where the OHCHR called for inclusive and meaningful dialogue, to end the violence. The statement highlighted that the unrest first began in May, when the youth took to the streets to call for accountability for the death of a 25-year-old Law student, allegedly at the hands of the police. The deceased is Thabani Nkomonye whose death caused an uproar which made government take a decision to appoint a coroner to conduct an inquiry into the circumstances that led to his death. “Recent eruption of violence is deeply concerning, amid reports of killings and injuries during protests calling for democratic reforms. We urge the government to open dialogue to address underlying public concerns,” it was stated in the UN statement. It was mentioned that in late June, the protests grew into daily pro-democracy marches in several locations around the kingdom, with protesters voicing deep-seated political and economic grievances. The statement quoted OHCHR Spokesperson Liz Throssell saying her office had received allegations of disproportionate and unnecessary use of force, harassment and intimidation by security forces, including the use of live ammunition by police. She, according to the statement, urged the authorities in Eswatini to fully adhere to human rights principles in restoring calm and the rule of law, in particular the obligation to minimise any use of force.

Transparent

“We also call on the government to ensure that there are prompt, transparent, effective, independent and impartial investigations into all allegations of human rights violations, including those by law enforcement personnel in the context of the demonstrations, and that those responsible are held to account,” she was quoted. It was also mentioned that the spokesperson reminded authorities that peaceful protests were protected under international human rights law, “including under Article 21 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which the Kingdom of Eswatini was a State party.”

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