Eswatini

Interpretation: Larger text = more human rights experts identified this group as being at risk.

When asked to provide more context about who was particularly unlikely to enjoy their right to education in 2025, our respondents mentioned all of the following:

• Schools are often temporarily disrupted due to non-payment of scholarships, allowances, lecturer salaries, and basic facility amenities such as electricity and water access, leading to protests by students and lecturers

• Students associated with political, activist, or protest movements, especially the Swaziland National Union of Students (SNUS), are harassed, suspended, excluded from other institutions, or face other forms of disciplinary action after protests

• Former detainees face stigma and barriers when reintegrating into the education system

• Students with certain political affiliations and opinions face discrimination when applying for admission into national higher learning institutions and government scholarships

• Some students cannot finish school due to high education fees and subsequently drop out, especially in secondary and tertiary education

• People suffering from unemployment or poverty, due to the high exam fees set by the government

• People from rural and low-income communities, due to high school fees, transportation costs, poor public infrastructure, and the inability to afford indirect costs such as uniforms and materials, despite free primary education policies

• Girls, particularly with low social or economic status, are at high risk of dropping out of school due to teenage pregnancy and needing to work to support the family’s economic needs

• Boys from rural and low-income backgrounds, due to economic pressures to enter the informal labour market early

• Orphaned and other vulnerable children, especially those engaged in child labour or eldest sons who become head of the household in the absence of a father

• Children in rural schools, due to poorly maintained infrastructures and a lack of facilities

• Children in rural areas often drop out quite young

• People in Lubombo have significantly lower educational outcomes than others

• People in the Lowveld and Middleveld regions

• Children in primary schools, due to delays in the government’s payments of the Free Primary Education programme funds for administration and school meals affecting the effective functioning of these schools

• Children with disabilities lack access to specialised facilities

• Refugees, asylum seekers, undocumented migrants, and children without legal identities, due to a lack of documentation, such as birth certificates, required to register for schools

• Members of the LGBTQIA+ community face high rates of dropping out of or missing school due to stigma, bullying, and a lack of institutional protections

• Many believe that systematic under-resourcing of education is a political choice, especially regarding tertiary education institutions, due to the belief that educated people are more likely to challenge the ruling leader

Interpretation: Larger text = more human rights experts identified this group as being at risk.

Right to freedom from arbitrary arrest

When asked to provide more context about who was especially vulnerable to arbitrary or political arrest and detention by government agents in 2025, our respondents mentioned all of the following:

• Members of opposing political parties, members of parliament, and political activists are frequently arrested on charges of sedition or terrorism under broad legislation

• Members of certain political groups, as well as activists and trade union members considered to be sympathetic to them, such as the People’s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO), the Swaziland Youth Congress (SWAYOCO), the Swaziland Solidarity Network (SSN), and the Swaziland Liberation Movement (SWALIMO)

• The Tinkhundla governance system effectively restricts all political parties and criminalises dissent

• Former members of parliament who openly express their political beliefs

• Anyone who participates in a protest is subject to surveillance and intelligence gathering that is used to identify and target them

• Ordinary civilians and bystanders risk being detained and arrested during crackdowns against protests

• Student activists and youth leaders, especially those who participate in democratic reform protests

• Trade union members and labour activists who participate in strikes or other demonstrations

• Journalists and bloggers who criticise the monarchy or government

• People deported from the United States are held in prison without due process

Right to freedom from forced disappearance

When asked to provide more context about who was especially vulnerable to disappearance by government agents in 2025, our respondents mentioned all of the following:

• All people, due to poor access to adequate legal counsel, clandestine detention practices, and poor judicial oversight

• Members of the Swaziland Liberation Movement (SWALIMO) and people associated with them

• Political activists and people who participate in protests may be detained without complete transparency regarding where they are held

• Activists and leaders of labour unions are at risk of abduction, torture, and disappearance by police, especially when engaging in marches, protests, and petitioning

• Young people who are politically inclined, especially students and activists associated with political parties

Right to freedom from extrajudicial execution

When asked to provide more context about who was especially vulnerable to extrajudicial killing by government agents in 2025, our respondents mentioned all of the following:

• Members of the People’s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO)

• Pro-democracy protesters, as well as regular civilians, bystanders, and community leaders who don’t participate in the protests but are near the protest areas and get caught in state crackdowns

• Human rights defenders and lawyers have been subjected to several high-profile targeted killings that remain uninvestigated

• Activists who demand an end to the Tinkhundla system or the dictatorship under the monarchy

• There are widespread reports of police officers shooting suspects while engaged in pursuits

Right to freedom from torture and ill-treatment

When asked to provide more context about who was especially vulnerable to torture and ill-treatment by government agents in 2025, our respondents mentioned all of the following:

• All people, due to weak oversight over security forces and a lack of accountability for reported abuses

• Anyone who opposes the government, especially political detainees and activists, members or affiliates of pro-democracy movements, reform movements, student protests, opposition groups, banned or restricted political movements, trade unions, and those arrested under charges related to sedition or terrorism

• Political and human rights advocates, especially students and those who advocate for workers’ rights, LGBTQIA+ rights, and landless people’s rights

• Young people associated with groups like the Swaziland National Union of Students (SNUS), the People’s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO), and the Swaziland Youth Congress (SWAYOCO)

• Leaders of labour unions are at risk of being abducted, beaten, and tortured

• Journalists and people critical of the government who expose corruption or government abuses

• Political detainees have reported being subject to beatings, denied access to food, and degrading treatment in custody

• Prisoners are affected by systemic issues like overcrowding, malnutrition, and other forms of abuse by prison guards and officials

• Foreign detainees, such as deportees from third-party countries

• Security forces disperse protests using force, including tear gas, rubber bullets, and live ammunition

Interpretation: Larger text = more human rights experts identified this group as being at risk.

Right to assembly and association

When asked to provide more context about who was especially vulnerable to restrictions on their rights to assembly and association by the government or its agents in 2025, our respondents mentioned all of the following:

• All people’s rights to assembly and association are systematically violated, due to the authorities prohibiting or violently dispersing any gatherings that are deemed critical of the country

• All people face risks of persecution for as long as they intend to express and exercise these rights

• Anyone who is associated with political parties such as the Sive Siyinqaba National Movement or Ngwane National Liberatory Congress (NNLC)

• Members of labour unions, particularly those affiliated with the Trade Union Congress of Swaziland (TUCOSWA), workers’ advocacy groups, and public sector employees, advocating for wage reforms, cost of living concerns, and broader political or governance changes are prevented from publicly mobilising, despite these rights being protected by the constitution and international agreements

• Political activists and students, especially those affiliated with the People’s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO), the Swaziland Youth Congress (SWAYOCO), the Swaziland National Union of Students (SNUS), the Swaziland Liberation Movement (SWALIMO), and the Foundation for Socio-Economic Justice (FSEJ)

• Women activists face both political repression and gender-based violence during protests

• Pro-democracy groups and organisations who advocate for multiparty democracy and constitutional reforms

• Members of the LGBTQIA+ community are denied the ability to register their own non-governmental organisations

• Security forces disperse protests using force, including tear gas, rubber bullets, and live ammunition

Right to opinion and expression

When asked to provide more context about who was especially vulnerable to restrictions on their rights to opinion and expression by government agents in 2025, our respondents mentioned all of the following:

• All political parties are effectively banned, with the few existing parties not allowed to participate in elections or nominate candidates; political candidates can only take part in elections if they denounce their party affiliations and participate as unaffiliated individuals

• Self-censorship is widespread due to fear of retaliation, particularly in the media, where critical reporting of the royal family or the government is suppressed

• All political activities, including public marches are prohibited by the government under the claim that they ‘sow seeds of disunity’ among the people

• All people’s rights to opinion and expression are severely restricted, but this is especially true for people associated with pro-democracy movements, labour rights activism, and student organisations

• All people face risks of persecution for as long as they intend to express and exercise these rights

• Anyone that is affiliated with the Swaziland Liberation Movement (SWALIMO) or the Sive Siyinqaba National Movement

• Young people and students, due to broad repression of political expression, especially for those associated with the Swaziland National Union of Students (SNUS) and other progressive or pro-democratic organisations

• Teachers, especially those who are affiliated with the Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT)

• Journalists, human rights defenders, political activists, and civil society actors, particularly when they are linked to pro-democracy groups like the People’s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO) and the Swaziland Youth Congress (SWAYOCO), or engage in work on governance, accountability, and constitutional reform

• Journalists and other members of the media, especially if they work with independent news outlets or report on issues associated with governance, public finances, or democracy

• Online activists and bloggers, particularly those who use Facebook or WhatsApp to mobilise people or criticise the government

• Marginalised groups, including women, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, and people with low social or economic status, due to heightened vulnerability and social stigmas - Religious leaders, groups, and organisations who speak out about social justice, governance, human rights, workers’ rights, or democratic reforms are subject to intimidation, pressure, and increased scrutiny from the authorities

• Religious narratives are used to justify the exclusion of certain groups or silence advocacy, particularly regarding members of the LGBTQIA+ community

Right to participate in government

When asked to provide more context about who was especially vulnerable to restrictions on their political participation by the government or its agents in 2025, our respondents mentioned all of the following:

• The Tinkhundla system prohibits political parties from participating in any elections

• The centralised structure of executive, legislative, and judicial powers all being vested in the monarchy effectively restricts the right of all to participate meaningfully in politics

• Pro-democracy advocates and groups calling for political reforms, especially when they demand multi-party democracy and other changes to the current governing system

• Civil society organisations, particularly when attempting to influence public policy and legislation through advocacy or public campaigns

• People associated with past instances of political protest or unrest often face stigma or exclusion from political spaces and participation

• People associated with or members of political parties, especially the Sive Siyinqaba National Movement or Ngwane National Liberatory Congress (NNLC)

• All people who are affiliated with pro-democracy movements such as the People’s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO), the Swaziland Youth Congress (SWAYOCO), the Swaziland Liberation Movement (SWALIMO), and other similarly aligned civil society organisations, are excluded from all formal political processes and face harassment, surveillance, and arrests intended to discourage their active political engagement

• Young people and student leaders are targeted to prevent them from mobilising political dissent, especially those associated with the Swaziland National Union of Students (SNUS) and other progressive or pro-democratic organisations

• Women are underrepresented in the political system, due to systemic and cultural barriers preventing their complete participation despite formal legal recognition of their rights

• Women, due to polling often being held in the residences of traditional chiefs, must observe several customary practices, such as not wearing pants, wearing head wraps, and only talking while seated, in order to participate and place their votes

• Women struggle to be nominated as candidates for office, due to stigma, including the stigma the nomination could attach to the woman, her spouse, or the community

• People with low social or economic status and people in rural areas, due to a lack of access to the political system and decision-making processes

• People with disabilities, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, and young people, due to a lack of inclusivity in electoral processes

• Members of the LGBTQIA+ community, due to issues with incorrect gender on their identity documents, and discrimination based on how they dress when visiting polling locations

Right to freedom of religion and belief

When asked to provide more context about who was especially vulnerable to restrictions on their freedom of religion and belief by the government or its agents in 2025, our respondents mentioned all of the following:

• Restrictions on religion and belief increase or become more apparent when religious expression intersects with political activism, such as when churches support pro-democracy movements

• People who are not Christians, due to the predominance of Christianity and the government regulating national celebrations based on Christianity, forcing other religions to stop engaging in their own worship or celebrations on those days

• Certain minority religious groups, identities, and sects, especially those that are not part of mainstream Christian denominations, due to administrative and social barriers impacting their ability to register or engage in public worship

• Practitioners of traditional beliefs, due to marginalisation and lack of formal recognition

• Members of the LGBTQIA+ community, due to certain churches not accepting them, especially the ones aligned with the royal family

• All citizens are expected to attend compulsory services arranged by the monarchy or the Ministry of Home Affairs, such as all Easter services being suspended except for the event sponsored by the royal family at Somhlolo National Stadium in Lombaba, and anyone who decides to continue their own Easter services is viewed as defiant