Thulani Rudolf Maseko
If truth be told, this trial is about the prosecution and persecution of the aspirations of the people of this land to determine their own destiny, democratically and freely.
Thulani Rudolf Maseko was a human rights lawyer and member of Lawyers for Human Rights Swaziland. On 21 January 2023, he was brutally assassinated in his home in Mbabane. He was the chairperson of the Multi-Stakeholder Forum, a convergence of various stakeholders calling for constitutional reforms in Eswatini. Thulani Rudolf Maseko was also one of the founding members of the Southern Africa Defenders Human Rights Network (SouthernDefenders). Thulani Maseko worked tirelessly to promote justice and human rights in Eswatini, the Southern-African region and beyond.
The Kingdom of Swaziland has the distinction of being sub-Saharan Africa's last remaining absolute monarchy. Rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly are regularly violated, with arbitrary arrests and excessive force used to crush political protests. Torture and other ill-treatment is a persistent concern.
