Monday, September 13, 2010

NOW, SWAZI YOUTH FACE TORTURE

The use of torture in Swaziland is catching on.


After Barnabas Dlamini, the kingdom’s illegally-appointed Prime Minister, said he wanted to use ‘Sipakatane’ (otherwise known as ‘bastinado’ or foot whipping) against foreigners who spoke out against his government, comes news that young people who talk to the media without permission could get the same treatment.


Chairman of the Swaziland National Youth Council Sifiso Khumalo says the council will consider using ‘Sipakatane’ against youth organisation members who tarnish the name of the council by reporting negatively about it in the media.


Khumalo said the tool was to discipline people found to be guilty of discussing the council’s issues in the media, after they had been convicted in a hearing.


According to the Swazi Observer,
http://www.observer.org.sz/index.php?news=16087 the newspaper in effect owned by King Mswati III, he told youth organisation members ‘never to dare take issues of the council to the media because it destroy not only council but all the youth organisations in the country’.

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