Human Rights Watch (HRW) has accused Eswatini authorities of failing to probe the deadly crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in June 2021, leaving victims and their families without justice more than four years later.
In a 26-page report released on Thursday, titled “You’ll Die Waiting for Justice,” HRW accused Eswatini of intensifying repression while ignoring calls for accountability over the security forces’ use of lethal force that killed scores and injured hundreds, including children.
The Royal Eswatini Police Service and the Umbutfo Eswatini Defence Force are alleged to have fired live ammunition indiscriminately at protesters and passers-by and to have used tear gas, rubber bullets and physical assault during the unrest.
“It is appalling that more than four years later, the victims and survivors are living with the consequences of the brutality they suffered without any remedies for their rights violations,” HRW Africa researcher Nomathamsanqa Masiko-Mpaka said.
The report draws on interviews conducted in April 2025 with 15 Swati nationals aged 18 to 68, including three individuals who lost loved ones and eight who were directly injured.
It also includes testimony from four political stakeholders – among them a trade unionist and a human rights lawyer – several of whom have fled to South Africa to escape persecution.
One woman interviewed said she filed a case after her husband was shot and killed by police in 2021 but has received no updates from authorities.
According to HRW, her experience reflects the broader failure of the justice system to respond to victims’ demands.
In October 2021, the Eswatini Commission on Human Rights and Public Administration reported that 46 people were killed – two of them children – and 245 sustained gunshot injuries.
While victims identified security forces as the perpetrators, the commission stopped short of naming those responsible and called for an independent investigation. No such inquiry has been launched.
Civil society groups believe the official death toll is understated, with some estimates placing the number of fatalities above 100.
HRW urged the Eswatini government to initiate formal support mechanisms for victims and survivors, and to conduct transparent investigations that lead to prosecutions and reparations.
“The government of Eswatini should promptly embark on effective and comprehensive investigations into all unjustified and disproportionate use of force against civilians by police and military officers implicated in the June 2021 protests,” Masiko-Mpaka said.
The killing of prominent human rights lawyer Thulani Maseko in January 2023 has further deepened public disillusionment.
Maseko, known for representing victims of state violence pro bono, was fatally shot at his home in Luhleko. His death has left many survivors without legal recourse and fearful of retaliation.
JN/APA