A first-hand account of police brutality in Eswatini

Journalist Cebelihle Mbuyisa was arrested without charge and beaten by police while reporting on protests in Eswatini.

A barricade in the road that is on fire is seen in Mbabane, Eswatini, on June 29, 2021
For the past month, many in Eswatini have been protesting against the police, the king and a dire economic situation [File: AFP]

Eswatini security forces have killed 70 protesters and arrested more than 600 in the past few months, but it is likely you have heard little to nothing about it. The internet in the small, Southern African country has been regularly shut down over the past few weeks, and journalists intimidated, arrested, and beaten. In this episode, we talk to one of them.

In this episode:

  • Cebelihle Mbuyisa (@CebelihleM), reporter at New Frame
  • Vito Laterza (@vitolaterza09), associate professor of development studies at the University of Agder

Connect with The Take: 

Twitter (@AJTheTake), Instagram (@ajthetake) and Facebook (@TheTakePod)

Source: Al Jazeera