Thulani Maseko

Thulani Rudolf Maseko (1 March, 1970 – 21 January, 2023) was a Swazi human rights lawyer who previously served as the Secretary General of the People's United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO). He was imprisoned from 2014 to 2015, and declared a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International. He launched a court challenge to King Mswati III of Eswatini in 2018 and was assassinated in 2023. Quotes They have intended to hurt us, to break our spirit, our moral strength and crush our resilience so that we succumb to their evil desires. we believe that freedom of speech and expression, together with freedom of association and assembly are at the heart of a democratic society. In the absence of [an] independent and fearless media; there can be no freedom of speech and expression because the media is the vehicle through which citizens express their views. Recently, journalists and the editors forum complained about the attack by the judiciary on the freedom of expression and of the media in Swaziland. It is not so much the name change that one is concerned with; it is rather the manner in which it has been done. It has again taken the stroke of one man, and one man alone to change the name of the country. One thing is clear; we may not know how long we will be in these jails, nevertheless, we will defeat not only imprisonment, but our jailors as well. We will walk and the prison door will open. We will return, and return we will, alive. And we will sit at the table of brotherhood with our jailors to negotiate the future of Swaziland. Thulani Maseko talks on‘Why We Are Jailed" We have to pursue these ideals until the end of our days. In the words of the Reverend Martin Luther Jr., one has to believe in something, believe in it until the end of the days. Not only that, we have to be a reflection of the change we want to see in the world. So, I do believe that the dignity and humanity of the people of Swaziland, across Africa and the world can only be restored with the full enjoyment of all human rights, fundamental freedoms and civil liberties without distinction. We have to stand up for ‘Dignity and Justice for All’. Africa must rise up from the darkness of repression and walk forthrightly to the bright sunshine of human rights. one of the letter he wrote in prison We are not discouraged. We are not fazed. We are not shaken. We are not intimidated. Yes, we are not broken. March 2014. Maybe the best way to answer the question is to say perhaps most of my life I have been involved in the struggle to create a better society in Swaziland. A society that respects the rule of law, human rights and dignity of the Swazi citizen so that includes me writing for a magazine called The Nation. I’m a monthly contributor. So what happened is that, in 2014, a gentleman who is a public servant in charge of a department in the Ministry of Transport with ensuring that public vehicles are not abused by civil servants, he was arrested on an order by the chief justice on allegations of contempt of court. In February 2014 the editor of The Nation magazine with whom I was co-accused, Makhubu, wrote complaining about the way this public servant was arrested and detained by the chief justice. We felt that the whole thing was unjust but we never discussed it. So he wrote in February, I wrote in March several independent articles, we both complained about this incident. In an interview,he talk about what happened to him in Switzerland in 2014 and 2015 Obviously, prison is very lonely and I think the Swazi government was determined to make us appear to the world like we were ordinary, common law prisoners. As if we were accused of rape or murder or robbery, or one of those common law crimes. So the first thing I appreciate about Amnesty just to know that somebody believes you’re not a common law prisoner. So the decision that you made to say we are prisoners of conscience in itself meant a lot, let alone the letters that my wife is talking about. She would from time to time come with them in prison just to show me. They wouldn’t allow her to let me have those letters. They want to break you spirit, they want to make you feel you have been deserted, you are on your own, no one cares about you. You’ve just been made an outcast. So just to know that somebody out there in the world cares about your wellbeing, your safety, your dignity, your humanity as a prisoner, it lifts your spirit. In an interview External links Category:1970 births Category:2023 deaths