Anger at King Mswati III decree

Opposition groups in Swaziland have condemned a controversial royal decree under which King Mswati III has the power to ban any book, magazine or newspaper, BBC reported on Monday. The decree, which also prohibits anyone from impersonating or ridiculing the king, prevents legal challenges to any of the monarch’s executive decisions, the report said. It added that according to correspondents the proclamation seemed carefully designed to remove the sting from King Mswati’s most vocal critics.

The Swazi King has ruled as an absolute monarch ever since Mswati’s father, King Sobhuza II, banned political parties and scrapped the constitution in 1973. Mario Masuku, president of Swaziland’s People’s United Democratic Movement, told BBC that “repressive regimes have reacted in this fashion before” and his movement would not be cowed by the decree. The country’s Attorney-General Phesheya Dlamini defended the decree and dismissed claims that it amounted to the creation of a state of emergency as “unmitigated nonsense”. “Legislation seeks to clarify certain issues that have been of concern as to what’s the exact position of the law,” he was quoted as saying.

AP reported that the decree which was passed on Saturday also eliminated bail for a range of crimes, including robbery, rape and holding illegal public demonstrations. A Swazi court recently ruled unconstitutional a 1993 order that eliminated bail for some crimes. The decree overruled that court ruling and expanded the list of crimes to which it applied, the report said.

Under the decreee, according to the report, Swazis who ridicule or impersonate the king could be jailed and fined US $6,000.

In addition, the decree also gave the justice minister the power to appoint and fire judges at will, and prohibited newspapers from challenging publishing bans.