The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) has condemned the breaches of human and trade union rights in eSwatini, leading to the killing of about 71 protesters and many others injured by security agencies.
According to a letter signed by the ITUC Secretary General Sharan Burraw and addressed to Prime Minister Cleopas Dlamini, the congress further demanded the release of protesters arrested during the fracas.
The letter reads in part: “On behalf of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) representing 200 million workers in 164 countries and territories around the world, and our eSwatini affiliate, the Trade Union Congress of Swaziland (TUCOSWA), we call on your government to abandon the breaches of human and trade union rights that have characterised the Kingdom of eSwatini for nearly fifty years. In particular, we condemn the recent surge in violence and repression against peaceful protesters by the security forces in your country.
“We have been following recent developments in your country closely and understand that the protests that started on 26 June 2021 were caused by your government’s decision to ban delivery of petitions by protesters.”
The petitioners also demanded a constitutionally established democracy in which the people elect their government representatives in full freedom.
Mass protests calling for democracy have persistently arisen since the promulgation of the 1973 decree that banned political parties.
