HRF succeeds in UN petition: Swaziland called on to immediately release two former lawmakers

NEW YORK (Dec. 4, 2025) — The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) received a favorable opinion from the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD), finding that Swaziland’s (unilaterally renamed eSwatini by King Mswati III in 2018) detention of former lawmakers Mduduzi Bacede Mabuza and Mthandeni Dube is arbitrary and violates international human rights law. 

Mabuza and Dube were arrested in July 2021 amid nationwide pro-democracy protests calling for an end to decades of absolute monarchical rule under Mswati. In their public speeches, Mabuza and Dube called for the democratic election of the country’s prime minister, urged the adoption of anti-corruption measures, and encouraged citizens to exercise their constitutional rights. The regime argued that their peaceful speeches triggered deadly riots during the demonstrations. 

Mabuza and Dube were held in pretrial detention for three years. During that time, their bail applications were denied without legal basis, they were subjected to beatings by prison guards, and they were repeatedly denied the right to contact their lawyers. In July 2024, the High Court handed them heavy prison terms on trumped-up charges of terrorism, sedition, and murder related to deaths that occurred during a protest. Mabuza and Dube were sentenced to serve 25 and 18 years, respectively. In November 2025, Dube received a conditional pardon, but his ability to travel and communicate remains restricted. HRF brought the case of Mabuza and Dube before the WGAD in August 2024. 

King Mswati’s repression of dissent has become increasingly brutal in recent years. The regime persecutes political dissidents, student activists, and human rights lawyers alike using arbitrary detention, torture, and extrajudicial killings. The king has gone so far as to threaten to unleash mercenary forces on those demanding democratic reforms.

In its decision, the WGAD emphasized that Mabuza and Dube were detained based on vague and broadly worded legislation, which enables the criminalization of the legitimate exercise of freedom of expression. The experts specifically condemned the use of provisions under Section 4 of the Sedition and Subversive Activities Act, 1938, which punishes anyone who intentionally brings into hatred or contempt or excites disaffection against the king or the government. The WGAD found that Dube and Mabuza were detained for peacefully exercising their rights to freedom of expression, assembly, association, and participation in public affairs. It declared the murder charges pretextual, as the men were not present at the time of the deaths and the government presented no link between them. The experts concluded that Mabuza and Dube were targeted and discriminated against because of their calls for democratic reform.

“The WGAD’s opinion plays a crucial role in the international community’s reckoning with Swaziland’s dire human rights record,” said HRF Senior Legal Associate Venla Stang. “The situation in the small kingdom rarely makes international headlines, but this decision sends a strong signal to the Swazi regime: its human rights abuses will no longer escape international scrutiny.”

HRF urges the international community to hold the Swazi regime accountable for its crackdown on dissent and to stand in solidarity with Mduduzi Bacede Mabuza and Mthandeni Dube, who should be unconditionally released.

The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) is a nonpartisan nonprofit organization that promotes and protects human rights globally, with a focus on closed societies.

Supported by a grant from the John Templeton Foundation.