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afrol News, 24 January - This statement may send Mario Masuku, President of one of the main opposition parties in Swaziland, to prison. The long-awaited sedition trial against him starts today in Mbabane and the Swazi press expresses shock the trial will be held in camera. Only his immediate family, his pastor and his lawyers will be allowed to listen in on the case. According to an article titled "Secret trial for Mario" in today's edition of the Times of Swaziland, the move to hold the trial in camera "is likely to shock members of the public." The director of public prosecutions, Lincoln Nga'rua had indicated that his office would file an application denying members of the public and the media privilege to the proceedings. Mario Masuku, President of the People's United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO), was arrested in November 2000 for exclaiming "away with his Majesty King Mswati's reign" at a bus stop in the Swazi capital Mbabane. Masuku, a long-time defender of democracy, had been living under excessively stringent bail conditions until he was re-incarcerated in October 2001 for failing on one occasion to report to the local police station, even despite seriously deteriorating health. Despite the protests against his detention, human rights groups, labour unions and the opposition seem to welcome the fact that the Swaziland High Court will finally hear the government's case against Masuku today. There had been local and international concern by the many postponements. PUDEMO claims that this is purely "a political trial". Mario Masuku had merely been accused of expressing a political opinion and had committed no crime, his party maintains. "Even if the government's allegations were true, the worst that could be said is that he merely exercised his right of free speech." The opposition party also had appealed to the South African government to sever all political, economic, political and cultural ties with the government of King Mswati III, and to the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting to raise this issue in its forthcoming conference and exclude Swaziland from membership. PUDEMO was however gravely disappointed by that last week's Southern African Development Co-operation (SADC) summit in Malawi, which did not raise this issue despite their appeals. The case against Masuku has generated much interest both locally and internationally. Human right organisations and international labour unions have protested the case, saying Masuku is denied his right of free speech. The South African trade union COSATU today sent its "support and solidarity to the people of Swaziland who will be converging on the capital Mbabane in a show of force against tyranny and particularly to the workers who are being urged to stop work in protest against the regime's assault on fundamental human rights." COSATU spokesmen Patrick Craven and Moloto Mothapo say they support PUDEMO's calls for sanctions, making an appeal to the international community. "If President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe is to be internationally isolated, so should King Mswati III, who despite a frightening record of human rights abuse, continues to enjoy diplomatic relationships with a number of democratic countries," Craven and Mothapo say. The 'Times of Swaziland' writes that foreign media reportedly already have arrived to monitor the proceedings of the trial. They will be disappointed by public prosecutor Nga'rua's decision to close the courtroom doors to the public. PUDEMO and COSATU have demanded the case must be open to the public and media. Justifying his intentions, Nga'rua had explained that the media can not be party to the proceedings because any reporting on the seditious utterances allegedly made by the accused is tantamount to repeating the offence, which in itself is a criminal offence, the 'Times of Swaziland' reports. afrol News laments the ban of the statement "away with his Majesty King Mswati's reign!" but will seriously try to avoid it in the future.
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