MBABANE, SWAZILAND (AFP) – Police have arrested a Swaziland opposition leader as part of a crackdown under the country’s anti-terrorism laws, his family said on Sunday.
People’s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO) leader Mario Masuku was arrested on Saturday and was being held in eastern Swaziland 180km from the capital, his son Mzwandile told AFP.
Police raided their home just outside Mbabane on the pretext that their father was a terrorist, he said.
“My father is expected to appear in court on Monday morning,” he said.
Swaziland is Africa’s last monarchy. Political organizations in Swaziland have been banned since 1973, and the king makes all key government appointments.
Held on terrorism charges
Police spokesperson Vusi Masuku confirmed the arrest of Masuku, but said he could not specify the charges.
However, Masuku’s family and lawyer were told that he was being held on terrorism charges.
Masuku, a vocal campaigner for multi-party democracy, was arrested in the mid-1980s for treason, a case he later won on appeal.
King Mswati III, who ascended the throne at age 18, has the power to appoint the prime minister, the legislature and the judiciary.
His country is one of Africa’s poorest, with one of the world’s highest HIV rates, and some have blamed the king’s state-sponsored extravagant lifestyle for draining Swaziland’s finances.
The banned Umbane People’s Liberation Army has claimed responsibility for several bomb blasts in the country in recent months.