Rights group calls on Eswatini to release former MPs News
Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Rights group calls on Eswatini to release former MPs

Amnesty International called on Tuesday for the immediate and unconditional release of two former members of parliament in the southern African nation of Eswatini, Mthandeni Dube and Bacede Mabuza. The statement comes in response to news of a conditional royal pardon granted earlier this month to MP Dube, resulting in his supervised release. 

“Mthandeni Dube’s release may bring relief to his family, but justice remains incomplete while his human rights are restricted by sweeping conditions, and Bacede Mabuza, who was arrested together with Dube, is still in prison,” said Amnesty International’s deputy regional director for Eastern and Southern Africa, Vongai Chikwanda. “The Eswatini authorities must immediately and unconditionally release Bacede Mabuza and quash both MPs’ unfair convictions.” King Mswati’s Correctional Services announced Dube’s royal pardon earlier this month on a conditional basis, imposing strict limitations on his political engagement, public communication, and movement. Mabuza, however, remains in prison, serving an 85-year sentence. 

Dube and Mabuza were arrested on 25 July 2021, after supporting calls for constitutional and democratic reform in Eswatini. The two lawmakers were convicted in July 2024 and sentenced to 85 years (Mabuza) and 58 years (Dube) in prison. They were sentenced under the country’s Suppression of Terrorism Act (2008) and the Sedition and Subversive Activities Act (1938), legislation criticized by human rights organizations for its sweeping and ambiguous provisions. The following year, Amnesty International designated both men as prisoners of conscience. 

With pressure mounting from civil society and neighboring governments, Eswatini faces renewed scrutiny over its treatment of political opponents. Amnesty International has stressed that Eswatini’s credibility on human rights will depend on the full, unconditional, and immediate release of both MPs and the repeal of laws used to punish peaceful criticism.

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