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Lusaka, Zambia, July 8, 2021 – Authorities in Eswatini must promptly and thoroughly investigate the recent arrests and abuses in detention of journalists Magnificent Mndebele and Cebelihle Mbuyisa, and hold those responsible to account, the Committee said today. for the protection of journalists.
At around 9 a.m. on July 4, soldiers on the MR3 highway near the central town of Matsapha arrested Mndebele and Mbuyisa, both reporters on the South African nonprofit news site. New frame, according to a report and tweets from their outlet, and the two reporters, who spoke to CPJ through a messaging app.
The soldiers threatened journalists at gunpoint, seized their cameras and forced them to delete footage of the funeral of a police bullet victim, which they had just witnessed, according to these sources.
The soldiers then took Mndebele and Mbuyisa to the nearby Sigodvweni police station, where officers questioned them about how they entered the country, the type of blanket they were doing, who they had spoken to and the the identity of the editor who gave them their coverage, reporters told CPJ.
While in detention, a group of dozens of officers took turns punching and kicking the two reporters, squeezed Mndebele’s genitals, hit Mbuyisa with an office puncher, and held bags in plastic over their heads to suffocate them, reporters said.
Mndebele told CPJ: “We almost died; it was a traumatic experience.
They were released around 3 p.m. after the intervention of a lawyer acting on behalf of New frame, and they both returned to South Africa the next day, according to the report and media tweets.
Since June, authorities in Eswatini have cracked down on pro-democracy protests in the country, including partially shutting down the Internet, according to press reports.
“The authorities in Eswatini must thoroughly investigate the abuses committed by the police against the journalists Magnificent Mndebele and Cebelihle Mbuyisa in detention, and ensure that the officers responsible for such actions are held accountable,” he said. said Angela Quintal, CPJ’s Africa program coordinator, in New York. “Instead of harassing, assaulting and censoring journalists, authorities must allow the press to cover the news safely and without restrictions, so that the public can benefit from accurate and timely information during this period of time. troubles in the kingdom. ”
Mndebele and Mbuyisa were treated at a local hospital in Eswatini after their release, they said. Magnificent told CPJ he had a swollen lower back and neck, and suffered head and elbow injuries from the beatings. Cebelihle told CPJ he suffered from bruises on his ribs and abdominal area, as well as pain in his face.
Separately, on June 29, the Communications Commission of Eswatini, the government telecommunications regulator, ordered telecommunications companies to shut down internet access across the country as protests against King Mswati III spread. nationally, according to several reports and a statement by South African telecommunications company MTN Eswatini, which CPJ reviewed.
Mbongeni Mbingo, president of the Eswatini Editors Forum, told CPJ via a messaging app that the shutdown had disrupted the work of many journalists, adding that Swati Observer and private property The times of Eswatini both did not publish on June 30 and July 1 due to the difficulties imposed by the Internet shutdown.
On Twitter, New frame wrote that it was “very difficult to keep in touch with the two journalists because internet communication in the country had been cut”.
From July 4, authorities allowed the resumption of website traffic in the country, but continued to block social media platforms, Mbingo said.
In addition, at least two journalists have been injured amid protests in the country, according to Mbingo and a statement from the Media Institute of Southern Africa, a regional press freedom group.
On June 29, the police fired Swati Observer Wonderboy journalist Dlamini with a rubber bullet, and the next day authorities gassed Andile Langwenya, a journalist for the private weekly Independent News, as police tried to break up a protest, Mbingo said. CPJ could not immediately determine the extent of injuries to either journalist.
In a statement, the South African National Editors’ Forum, an industry body made up of senior editors and journalists, said South African news outlets including public broadcaster SABC and independent broadcaster Newzroom Afrika have been forced to withdraw their journalists from Eswatini due to concerns for their safety.
Eswatini police spokesperson Phindile Vilakati forwarded all questions to government spokesperson Sabelo Dlamini. In an emailed statement to CPJ yesterday, Dlamini said the government was taking the information about the detention and abuse of Mndebele and Mbuyisa “very seriously”, adding: “We have contacted and requested a meeting with reporters in question in order to get to the bottom of this matter.
“We will inform the public as we continue to receive new developments in this regard,” he said in a statement, which does not address other attacks on local journalists.
He also said the government would meet with journalists whose work has been hampered by the Internet shutdown, and added that “the Internet is working as we speak.”
On July 6, CPJ and 20 other press freedom and civil rights organizations wrote an open letter to King Mswati III, urging him to ensure the safety and security of journalists and media workers and to restore full Internet access in the country.
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