Petition Summary:
Join the Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria in demanding justice and freedom for two pro-democracy Members of Parliament in Eswatini who were unjustly sentenced for standing up for the people’s right to democratic reform.
In Eswatini, two elected Members of Parliament, Mduduzi Bacede Mabuza and Mthandeni Dube, remain behind bars—victims of a political crackdown that seeks to silence dissent and stall the people’s push for democracy.
In 2021, these MPs courageously supported peaceful protests demanding democratic reform after King Mswati III banned petitioning. The response from the government was brutal: at least 46 civilians were killed, and Mabuza and Dube were arrested on trumped-up charges of terrorism, sedition, and murder. In 2023, they were sentenced to 25 and 18 years in prison an act widely condemned as a gross miscarriage of justice.
Their convictions under outdated and repressive laws—the Suppression of Terrorism Act (2008) and the Sedition and Subversive Activities Act (1938)—are a clear violation of their rights under the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. These actions represent not only a personal injustice but an attack on democracy and human rights in Eswatini.
The undersigned, stand in solidarity with the people of Eswatini and:
• Demand the immediate and unconditional release of Mduduzi Bacede Mabuza and Mthandeni Dube.
• Call on the Government of Eswatini to end the use of the justice system to persecute democratic voices.
• Urge the international community to amplify the call for justice, accountability, and democratic reform in Eswatini.
Freedom of expression and democratic participation are not crimes. Sign this petition and join the growing global movement demanding an end to political persecution in Eswatini.
LLM Class of 2025 - Human Rights and Democratisation in Africa
Centre for Human Rights
Faculty of Law
University of Pretoria
Hatfield Campus
South Africa
