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Friday 29 January 2010

SWAZILAND POLICE ‘SHOOT STUDENTS’

Swaziland Police are reported to have fired bullets at protesting university students, injuring two of them.


They deny this and say they ‘only’ fired teargas.


The incident happened (or didn’t depending on who’s telling the truth) as students from the University of Swaziland (UNISWA) attempted to march through the kingdom’s capital, Mbabane, to demand an increase in allowances.


The Times of Swaziland, the kingdom’s only independent daily newspaper reports that police stopped buses carrying students and denied them access to the city because the buses had no permits. The students were on their way to the Ministry of Labour and Social Security.


The Times reports, ‘Teargas canisters were fired to disperse the groups and some students were assaulted in the process of denying them access to visit the ministry.’


The Times goes on, ‘It is also alleged that gunshots were fired leaving at least two students injured. However, the police denied this save for firing teargas canisters to disperse them.’


Students are boycotting classes and the university has closed indefinitely.

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