Mario Masuku is the leader of Swaziland´s biggest opposition party, People´s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO). But all formations of political parties have the past 25 years been illegal in Swaziland.
This lead to the arrest of Mario Masuku the 15th of November 2008 and he was charged with terrorism and treason. Masuku is considered a terrorist by the government, because he wants freedom of speech, freedom of assembly and a democratic rule. The views of PUDEMO thus threaten the absolute power of the King and therefore are all means being used to suppress the rise against the monarchy. A new anti-terror law justified the final arrest of Mario Masuku, a law which has been criticized by Amnesty International and Afrika Kontakt, as the law undermines the law and order of Swaziland.
The Supreme Court in Swaziland pronounced a sentence, which allows Mario Masuku to be visited in jail by whomever he wishes to see. During our stay in Swaziland, two of us tried to visit him, but were refused admission on the grounds of countless poor excuses. This happened, despite the fact the both Masukus lawyer and his wife had approved of their visit. Finally it was decided that they needed to have a written permission from the Danish Embassy in Swaziland, but even so, there was no guaranty of their admission. None of these rules are written anywhere, but were changed more than once under the whole process of getting admission.
To this day Mario Masuku is still in jail and has not yet been brought before a judge. Mario Masuku is being withheld in his struggle for values, which we believe are fundamental human rights.
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