Hundreds of people, including foreign diplomats and activists, paid their respects to a human rights lawyer who was shot dead in Swatini on Saturday, sparking fears of political violence in Africa’s last absolute monarchy.
Thulani Maseko, a political activist and vocal critic of the authorities in the small landlocked country, was shot through the window of his home by unknown assailants last Saturday.
Hours before his assassination, King Mswati III had warned activists who opposed him not to “shed tears” because “mercenaries will kill them”.
Cries from all over the world
Diplomatic delegations from the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom and the United Nations attended the memorial service outside the commercial capital of Manzini.
Lawyers and activists from several African countries, as far away as Kenya, traveled to the country – sandwiched between South Africa and Mozambique – to pay tribute.
Maseco’s figure is displayed in front of a cream-colored wooden platform with white, yellow and red flowers spread out below.
UN Representative George Wachira said Maseko’s killing was a loss not only for Swatini but for the world and humanity. Thulani said he did not deserve to die like this, so we cannot remove the bitterness.
“His death will not be in vain,” he told mourners. “Tulani was at the heart of the theory that this country could be fixed through dialogue.”
Maseko, who died aged 52, spent most of his life fighting government repression and representing opposition activists in court.
In the year He was jailed for contempt of court in 2014 for articles criticizing the government and the judiciary, but was acquitted on appeal and released a year later.
At the time of his death, Maseco led a broad coalition of political and civil rights and religious groups formed in November 2021 to hold talks with the king and seek a way out of the political crisis that has gripped the country of 1.2 million people.
‘Blood on Mswati’s Hands’
Eswatini, formerly known as Swaziland, has banned political parties and cracked down on dissent since 1973.
In June 2021, at least 37 people were killed in weeks of anti-monarchy protests.
Maseko’s killing sparked international outrage and calls for an independent investigation and the perpetrators to be brought to justice.
British Ambassador Simon Boyden said: “Human rights defenders, like Tulani, must be able to rely on government institutions to protect them from violence, intimidation and death.”
Sdumo Dladla Maseko, vice president of the Law Society in Iswatini, lamented, “He had to die such a brutal death while preaching against violence.”
EU Ambassador Desislava Chumelova asked for “the safety of all citizens, including political activists”.
In the year PUDEMO president Mlungisi Makanya, who was suspended in 2008, paid tribute to the “fallen giant baobab”, saying the killing was “one of the most horrific events in the history of Swatini”.
“There is a lot of innocent blood on Mswati’s hands,” Makanya said in a video link from exile. “Mswati and his henchmen should be prosecuted for the atrocities he committed… At a time like this, we must strengthen our struggle and pressurize.”
Maseco was a senior member of PUDEMO, which pushed for a constitutional multi-party democracy. He will be buried on Sunday.