Tag Archives: AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL

AMA, Human Rights, Politics

Eswatini: Authorities must unconditionally release Mthandeni Dube and Bacede Mabuza

MaraviPost

London, United Kingdom, 21 November 2025 -/African Media Agency(AMA)/-Responding to the news of the conditional royal pardon granted on 5 November 2025 to former member of parliament, Mthandeni Dube, resulting in his supervised release, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for Eastern and Southern Africa, Vongai Chikwanda, said:

“Mthandeni Dube’s release may bring relief to his family, but justice remains incomplete while his human rights are restricted by sweeping conditions and Bacede Mabuza who was arrested together with Dube, is still in prison. Both Mthandeni Dube and Bacede Mabuza should never have been imprisoned in the first place solely the peaceful exercise of their human rights. The Eswatini authorities must immediately and unconditionally release Bacede Mabuza and quash both MPs’ unfair convictions.

“Mthandeni Dube’s release is subject to far-reaching limitations on his human rights, including prohibitions on political activity, public speaking and media engagement, as well as restrictions on travel and residence. These conditions, imposed under the supervision of His Majesty’s Correctional Services, unduly restrict human rights and effectively extend punishment beyond the prison walls.

“The continued criminalization of Mthandeni Dube and Bacede Mabuza underscores Eswatini’s ongoing crackdown on peaceful dissent. Eswatini authorities must take immediate and effective steps to protect civic space ensure and uphold the human rights of everyone including to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.”

Distributed by African Media Agency (AMA) on behalf of Amnesty International

Background

MPs Bacede Mabuza and Mthandeni Dube were arrested on 25 July 2021 after supporting calls for constitutional and democratic reform in Eswatini. On 31 July 2024, they were sentenced to 85 years and 58 years respectively under the Suppression of Terrorism Act (2008) and Sedition and Subversive Activities Act (1938). On 25 July 2025, Amnesty International designated both men as prisoners of conscience.

On 5 November 2025, His Majesty’s Correctional Services announced Dube’s conditional royal pardon, imposing strict limitations on his political engagement, public communication and movement. Bacede Mabuza remains in prison, serving an 85-year sentence imposed under repressive laws after proceedings that failed to meet international fair trial standards.

The post Eswatini: Authorities must unconditionally release Mthandeni Dube and Bacede Mabuza appeared first on African Media Agency.

Human Rights, Politics

Amnesty International condemns Tanzania’s crackdown on dissent ahead of October Elections

Burnett Munthali

DODOMA-(MaraviPost)-Amnesty International has issued a strong call to the government of Tanzania to immediately end what it describes as an “unacceptable campaign of repression against dissent” ahead of the country’s upcoming general election.

The human rights organization says it is deeply concerned about the deteriorating political and civic environment as Tanzanians prepare to go to the polls on October 29.

According to Amnesty, the Tanzanian government has intensified its clampdown on the opposition, the media, and human rights defenders in recent months.

The group reports that state authorities have used restrictive laws, intimidation, and politically motivated prosecutions to silence critical voices and suppress open political debate.

Central to Amnesty’s concern is the ongoing treason trial of Tundu Lissu, the outspoken leader of the opposition CHADEMA party.

Lissu, who has long been a vocal critic of government corruption and human rights abuses, faces charges that many observers believe are politically motivated.

The organization also highlighted the disqualification of opposition presidential candidate Luhaga Mpina, which it described as another example of the government’s deliberate efforts to narrow the political space.

Amnesty International believes these actions are not isolated incidents but part of a calculated strategy to instill fear among citizens and prevent meaningful civic participation.

The group warns that this growing repression threatens to erode Tanzania’s democratic foundations and entrench authoritarian rule under the guise of electoral legitimacy.

Amnesty has called on the international community, regional bodies, and human rights organizations to closely monitor developments in Tanzania and pressure the government to uphold democratic principles.

The organization insists that the rights to freedom of expression, assembly, and association must be respected and that all candidates should be allowed to campaign freely and fairly.

As the October 29 election draws closer, Amnesty International’s warning underscores growing fears that the Tanzanian government’s tightening grip on dissent could compromise the credibility of the entire electoral process.

Lifestyle

Ugandan lawmakers bring back military courts’ ability to try civilians

Maravi Post Reporter

Ugandan lawmakers on Tuesday passed a government-backed bill to authorize civilian trials in military courts, defying widespread criticism by opposition figures and others who called it a backward gesture.

The contentious legislation was introduced earlier this year after the Supreme Court ruled that civilians can’t be court-martialed, questioning the competence of untrained military officers to dispense justice.

The bill states that civilians can be court-martialed if their alleged offenses are “in support of or in association with persons subject to military law.” It also says that presiding officers must be qualified in law.

But opposition figures, rights activists and others insist such legislation is an anti-democratic effort as the east African country heads into elections scheduled for 2026.

Human rights organisation Amnesty International has warned that military courts could help “entrench repression ahead of the 2026 elections.”

Some members of the opposition walked out of the parliamentary chamber before the bill was passed, protesting what they said was an illegality.

The legislation is an attempt to “unconstitutionally grant judicial powers reserved for superior courts to subordinate military courts that have specialized jurisdiction to handle only military disciplinary offenses,” the Uganda-based rights group Chapter Four said in a statement.

President Yoweri Museveni, an authoritarian leader who has held power in the east African country since 1986, is expected to sign the bill within days.

The president and his son, army commander Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, had condemned the Supreme Court’s decision to effectively disband court-martials. Days after that ruling, government officials launched the process of introducing legislation to keep military courts active.

Museveni said in a statement following the court’s decision that “the country is not governed by the judges.” He is expected to run again in polls set for January 2026.

Many Ugandans expect an unpredictable political transition because the 80-year-old Museveni has no obvious successor within the ranks of the ruling National Resistance Movement party.

Some observers fear that in future he may step aside in favor of Kainerugaba in a bloodless coup. Kainerugaba has asserted his wish to succeed his father as president.

Source: Africanews

https://video.euronews.com/mp4/ED/15/45/51/00/ED_PYR_1545510_20250520185553.mp4
Lifestyle

Libya: UN announces “truce committee” as ceasefire holds after violence clashes in Tripoli

Maravi Post Reporter

Relative quiet has returned to Libya’s capital Tripoli, after violent clashes between rival militia groups caused chaos in the city last week. 

Fighting erupted on 12 May following the killing of Abdel Ghani al-Kikli, the commander of the Stability Support Authority (SSA), one of the most powerful militias in the country.

Al-Kikli, also known as “Gheniwa”, had been accused of war crimes and human rights violations by Amnesty International. He was reportedly killed in a facility run by rival group 444 Brigade.

The clashes that ensued were some of Tripoli’s heaviest in years and killed at least 8 civilians, according to the United Nations.  

The Libyan government announced a ceasefire on 14 May. In a statement on Sunday, the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) said a “truce committee” had been established to protect civilians and ensure the permanence of the ceasefire. 

Libya has known little stability since the 2011 uprising that plunged the country into civil war and resulted in the death of longtime autocrat Muammar Gaddafi. 

Eastern Libya is run by a Tobruk-based government under the de facto leadership of military chief Khalifa Haftar, who commands the Libyan National Army.

Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah leads the Government of National Unity which controls the west of the country and has been recognised by the UN Security Council since 2021. 

Disagreements between rival factions have prevented the organisation of elections, and Dbeibah has remained in power since then. 

Hundreds of protesters gathered in Tripoli on 16 May to demand the removal of Dbeibah and his government, and to call for elections.  

Demonstrators have accused Dbeibah of failing to restore stability and of being complicit in the growing power of armed groups. At least three ministers resigned following these calls. 

Prime Minister Dbeibah has since promised to eliminate militias and corruption in the country. 

“We will not spare anyone who continues to engage in corruption or extortion. Our goal is to create a Libya free of militias and corruption”, he said in a televised speech on Saturday.

Additional sources • Reuters

Source: Africanews

https://video.euronews.com/mp4/ED/15/20/28/03/ED_PYR_1520283_20250519090708.mp4
Lifestyle

Amnesty report exposes abuse of Kenyan domestic workers in Saudi Arabia

Maravi Post Reporter

More than 70 Kenyan women have documented their harrowing experiences working as domestic workers in Saudi Arabia, a new report by Amnesty International released on Tuesday shows.

In the report, launched in the Kenyan coastal city of Mombasa, the rights group documents how workers were deceived by recruitment agents, denied rest days, and worked under inhumane conditions with little or no pay.

One of the women, Bigeni Maina Mwangi, told The Associated Press how she was promised a beautician job in Saudi Arabia, but she instead found herself thrust into a life of domestic servitude under exploitative conditions.

“The contract I signed in Nairobi was changed the moment I landed,” she said. “The agent said I had no choice but to work.”

Mwangi worked in Saudi Arabia for 17 months without pay. When she was finally sent home, her promised wages never came. Due to rising unemployment in Kenya, she found a better job in Dubai, but a return to Oman in 2020 led to even grimmer conditions.

“I worked in three houses non-stop, often without food,” she said.

The Amnesty report urges the Kenyan and Saudi governments to extend labor protections to domestic workers, prosecute abusive employers, and ban recruitment agencies complicit in exploitation.

Another woman, Mejuma Shaban Ali, recounted signing her contract at Kenya’s main airport before flying out in 2014. Her journey led her to what she described as “a prison.”

“I was forced to escape the house disguised as taking out trash,” Ali said. “I got to the Embassy hoping for help. Instead, I was told to find another employer because I had made no money to pay off my employer.”

She ended up working illegally after being linked to a broker, with her passport still held by her first employer.

Both women called for a crackdown on rogue recruitment agencies and stronger embassy support. “There are people suffering in Oman with no way out,” Ali warned.

The rights group estimates more than 150,000 Kenyans work as domestic workers in Saudi Arabia.

“The system amounts to modern slavery,” said Amnesty Kenya Executive Director Irungu Houghton.

The Kenyan government has in recent months cracked down on exploitative recruitment agencies and promised to protect Kenyans abroad. The labor ministry in April facilitated the return of more than 100 Kenyans who were scammed by an agency and got stranded in Myanmar and Thailand.

Source: Africanews

Lifestyle

Amnesty International criticizes Rwanda’s deportation deal with the U.S.

Maravi Post Reporter

Rwanda’s move to accept immigrants from the United States has drawn criticism from Amnesty International.

The rights group now says that the deal contravenes the Refugee Convention. They also faulted the asylum process, claiming it is a risk of violating international law on migration and that there is still no certainty in its success.

“What we have raised as a concern with the UK deal, for instance, over the past years was the fact that there was a risk of refoulement of people who were deported from the UK to Rwanda,” stated Christian Rumu, who is the Senior Campaigner at Amnesty International.

“That is in contravention of the refugee convention and that risk is still there right now. We also had an issue around the asylum processes in Rwanda, in particular with regard to appeal opportunities. They tried to fix that with the reform that happened last year but that hasn’t been tested yet. So in all, there is a real risk of violation of international law that Rwanda is putting migrants through with this deal,” concluded Rumu.

Rwanda has argued it has space to help alleviate what many countries in Europe – and the United States Human rights advocates have long raised concerns over the deaths in Rwandan custody of some perceived government critics, as well as the alleged killings of others who sought exile in places like South Africa.

Rwanda at times has responded with angry denials to reports documenting human rights abuses – including the abduction and imprisonment of a U.S. resident who was tricked onto a Kigali-bound aircraft while visiting Dubai. He was later freed after Biden administration pressure.

Rwanda is also criticized over its aggressive military actions in the region. United Nations experts have documented Rwandan support for the rebel uprising that this year seized two cities in neighboring eastern Congo, an area rich in mineral wealth.

The unrest led to fears of a resurgence of regional war, and a number of Western countries cut relations or restricted aid. Rwanda has said it is defending ethnic Tutsis in Congo.

The Trump administration, which sanctioned a Rwandan government minister and cited links to the rebels, is trying to broker a peace deal. Agreeing to take in deportees from the U.S. could improve Rwanda’s standing with Washington and others.

Rwanda in 2019 struck a deal with the U.N. refugee agency to help take in migrants removed from Libya, where many people trying to reach Europe have reported abuses in detention.

The U.N. says the transit center in Rwanda has capacity for 700 evacuees. Late last year, it said over 2,400 people had been assisted in what is meant to be a temporary stay during efforts to find “long-term solutions” including resettlement elsewhere.

Before its deal with Britain collapsed, Rwanda showed off another transit center, a refurbished hostel in Kigali, that could host 100 people, with more accommodation made available as needed.

Rwanda said migrants would have their papers processed within three months. People could stay or authorities would assist those who wished to return to their home countries. Rwanda said it would bear full financial responsibilities for five years.

It is not clear whether such terms would be part of a deal with the United States.

Source: Africanews

https://video.euronews.com/mp4/ED/14/77/27/03/ED_PYR_1477273_20250513104432.mp4
Lifestyle

Amnesty International warns of deteriorating global human rights

Maravi Post Reporter

Amnesty International has warned of the deteriorating global human rights crisis as the ‘Trump effect’ accelerates destructive trends.

The annual report entitled ‘The State of the World’s Human Rights’ assessed national, regional and global developments across a wide range of human rights themes.

Among the issues that hinder human rights are violations in armed conflicts, repression of dissent, discrimination, economic and climate injustice, and the misuse of technology to infringe on human rights. 

The report also stated that while Africa’s armed conflicts caused relentless civilian suffering, including increasing levels of sexual and gender-based violence, and death on a massive scale, international and regional responses remained woefully inadequate, with civilians feeling forgotten.

It also highlighted the cost-of-living crisis that has deepened as prices of food, fuel and other necessities spiralled. High taxation levels, unsustainable public debts, widespread and unchecked corruption, escalating conflicts and extreme weather events exacerbated the crisis.

Protesting meant putting one’s life in danger, according to the report. Demonstrations were too often brutally and lethally dispersed and attacks on the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association remained rampant.

Repressive tactics used by governments included enforced disappearances and arbitrary arrests and detentions of opponents, human rights defenders, activists, journalists and their critics.

Conflict and climate-induced shocks remained the main drivers of forced displacement, and Sudan continued to suffer the largest displacement crisis worldwide.

The number of refugees from conflict zones continued to soar; many refugees lived in squalid conditions or fear of forced return. Discrimination and gender-based violence, fuelled by societal norms, remained a daily reality for women and girls.

Unlawful attacks and killings by government forces and armed groups were reported across the region, including in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, the Central African Republic (CAR), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan.

Operations by government forces often left a trail of civilian deaths. In Burkina Faso, the military reportedly killed at least 223 civilians, including at least 56 children, in the villages of Soro and Nodin in February.

Hundreds of civilians were reportedly killed in May by the military and its proxy forces during a supply operation against besieged towns in the east.

In Ethiopia, following armed clashes in January between government forces and militias in Merawi town, Amhara region, government forces rounded up scores of civilian men from their homes, shops and the streets and executed them.

Source: Africanews

https://video.euronews.com/mp4/ED/13/52/77/04/ED_PYR_1352774_20250429084314.mp4
Politics, Regional

“Israel shouldn’t exist as Jewish state”-Amnesty International

Lloyd M’bwana

NEW YORK-(MaraviPost)-Amnesty International US Director Paul O’Brien has said Israel should not exist as Jewish state.

O’Brien made the comment while peaking on Wednesday to a Women’s National Democratic Club audience, saying that the organisation “takes no political views on any question, including the right of the State of Israel to survive,” Israel “shouldn’t exist as a Jewish state.”

Amnesty International (AI) believes that “the right of the people to self-determination” should be protected, but it opposes the idea “that Israel should be preserved as a state for the Jewish people.”

Source: www.expressiveinfo.com

Health, Human Rights, Law and order

Amnesty International rebukes Tanzania authorities to end crackdown on journalists reporting on COVID-19

Lloyd M’bwana
President John Pombe Magufuli

DODOMA-(MaraviPost)-Amnesty International has rebuked Tanzania authorities to end crackdown on journalists reporting on COVID-19

This follows Tanzanian authorities on 20 April, 2020 suspended Talib Ussi Hamad, a journalist with the Tanzania Daima daily newspaper, for six months simply for reporting on COVID-19.

The latest in a string of attacks on the right to freedom of expression, access to information and media freedom during the pandemic.

Talib Hamad’s suspension comes just days after the Mwananchi daily newspaper had its online license suspended after it posted a photo of President John Pombe Magufuli out shopping surrounded by a crowd of people, eliciting online discussion on the country’s approach to addressing COVID-19.

“Access to information is an essential part of the fight against COVID-19, yet the Tanzanian government is choosing to censor journalists and media outlets who report on the disease”, says Deprose Muchena, Amnesty International’s Director for East and Southern Africa

“Access to information is an essential part of the fight against COVID-19, yet the Tanzanian government is choosing to censor journalists and media outlets who report on the disease.

“These recent reprisals are clearly politically motivated – the Tanzanian government’s sensitivity to criticism is costing journalists their rights and livelihoods,” said Muchena.

In recent years Tanzania has increasingly used repressive laws to silence and punish journalists for doing their jobs.

“We are calling on the authorities to end this crackdown on media freedom and stop using the law as a tool of censorship and repression.

“These recent reprisals are clearly politically motivated – the Tanzanian government’s sensitivity to criticism is costing journalists their rights and livelihoods” added Muchena.

The authorities cited provisions of the restrictive Media Services Act in issuing both suspensions.

Talib Hamad was suspended for allegedly reporting about a COVID-19 patient without the patient’s consent. 

Mwananchi newspaper was suspended and fined five million Tanzanian shillings (about USD 2200) for publishing a photo of the president buying fish in his home village of Chato, in northwestern Tanzania, on 13 April 2020.

Apparently breaching global social distancing guidelines. Authorities said the photo was not recent.

“Three other media organizations – Star Media Tanzania Ltd, Multichoice Tanzania Ltd and Azam Digital Broadcast Ltd – were on 2 April each fined the same amount and ordered to apologize for “transmission of false and misleading information” on the country’s approach to managing COVID-19.

The authorities must immediately lift the suspension of the journalist and the media house. They must not be penalized or sanctioned for doing their job” he added. 

“The authorities must immediately lift the suspension of the journalist and the media house. They must not be penalized or sanctioned for doing their job,” said Deprose Muchena.

The media plays a crucial role in informing the public about the factual situation and measures taken by governments in response to COVID-19. Its capacity to operate freely should not be unduly restricted.

Some of the laws that have been used in recent years to stifle the right to freedom of expression, access to information and media freedom and silence critical voices are the Media Services Act, the Electronic and Postal Communications (Digital and Other Broadcasting Networks and Services) Regulations, Electronic and Postal Communications (Radio and Television Content) Regulations, and Electronic and Postal Communications (Online Content) Regulations.

Source:https://www.amnesty.org

Malawi, Top News

Nicholas Dausi calls out Amnesty International for selective indignation

Maravi Post Reporter
Nicholas Dausi
Spokesperson person for Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Nicholas Dausi

LILONGWE, MaraviPost: Spokesperson person for Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Nicholas Dausi has called out Amnesty International for being blind to the pain and misery HRDC has caused Malawians including killing of a Police officer.

Dausi’s remarks came following the call made by the International body demanding an immediate release of two so-called Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC) members Mac Donald Sembereka and Gift Trapence.

In the statement Amnesty International Director for East and Southern Africa Deprose Muchena said the arrest is subjected to threats that were issued by Mutharika and some top officials of Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).

Muchena also demanded that President Peter Mutharika and members of his Democratic Progressive Party DPP, to stop intimidating, harassing and threatening the human rights activists.

In his response Dausi said the body only pointing fingers at the DPP led government, without denouncing the destruction of property, death of a police officer, resultant from the HRDC led protests which turned violent.