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Tuesday 9 June 2009

SWAZILAND DEMOCRACY WATCH

Support for the pro-democracy movement in Swaziland is growing around the world.


The latest news is from Europe, where a group calling itself Swaziland Democracy Watch Denmark launched last month after about 500 people attended a photographic exhibition at a festival in Copenhagen that featured what the organisers called the ‘strong and fighting Swazi people the and freedom fighter Mario Masuku (the President of the banned People’s United Democratic Movement - PUDEMO – who is in jail in Swaziland awaiting trial for sedition).


According to Swaziland Democracy Watch, which is made up of school students, a large majority of guests became full supporters of Masuku and PUDEMO’s fight for a multiparty system in Swaziland and many of them wrote greetings to send to Masuku.


‘It was a very successful presentation’, said Marie Hvelplund, a member of Swaziland Democracy Watch. ‘Many people were enthusiastic to show their support for Masuku.’


Swaziland Democracy Watch will in the near future send these greetings to Masuku in jail. ‘It is our opinion that the freedom fighter, Mario Masuku, should not be in prison and denounced as a terrorist. We think that the future of Swaziland should be decided by the people and not by one man, the king,’ said Hvelplund.


‘A lot of people said to me, that before they came to this festival, they didn’t know anything about Swaziland,’ said Anne Bech, a member of Swaziland Democracy Watch. ‘Many were shocked by the conditions in Swaziland, and they couldn’t imagine living in a country with a dictator like this king, Mswati III.’


In future Swaziland Democracy Watch says it aims to put Swaziland on the political agenda in Denmark and get politicians to take responsibility for the actions of the European Union and subsequently put pressure on the government of Swaziland.


‘This is necessary for our case, in order to make the king realize that his actions will not take place unnoticed. Furthermore we collaborate with progressive democratic movements in Swaziland, to help them in their struggle against the present despotic monarchy.’


For more information on Swaziland Democracy Watch click here.

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