[JURIST] Amnesty International (AI) [advocacy website] said [press release] Sunday that the Swazi government is continuing to use repressive laws as a way of silencing those opposed to the government and suppressing freedom of expression. AI made these statements on the day of the forty-seventh anniversary of Swaziland’s independence, noting that such laws [AI report] include the the 1938 Sedition and Subversive Activities Act (SSA Act) and the 2008 Suppression of Terrorism Act (STA). According to AI, those opposing and criticizing the Swazi government, which is the only remaining absolute monarchy in Africa, are regularly harassed and even thrown in jail for their advocacy. AI also said that the country is misusing its criminal justice system in order to criminalize opponents’ activities, imposing charges such as contempt of court and sedition. This includes prominent opposition leader Mario Masuku [Daily Maverick report], who continues to face prosecution under the laws. He spent a year in prison in 2014.

Swaziland [BBC backgrounder], the last remaining absolute monarchy in Africa and one of the few remaining in the world, gained independence from Britain on September 6, 1968. However, the country continues to struggle [AP report] with providing basic freedoms to its citizens. As an absolute monarchy, the country is ruled by a king, which today is King Mswati III [official website]. Mswati inherited the throne in 1986 and maintains a great deal of authority, including appointing the prime minister and his cabinet. The country does hold regular parliamentary elections. Mswati’s father, King Sobhuza, reigned for 61 years and banned political parties in 1973. Approximately 63 percent of the 1.2 million Swazi population lives below the poverty line. The country also has one of the highest percentages of its people afflicted with HIV, with 26 percent of adults infected.