probe

Eswatini: Kingdom on edge after top rights-lawyer’s ‘assassination’

By Audrey Simango

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Posted on January 24, 2023 13:19

© In this file photo taken on September 22, 2018 Thulani Maseko, human rights lawyer and activist, looks on as he gives an interview to AFP in Lobamba, Eswatini. (Photo by GIANLUIGI GUERCIA / AFP) — In this file photo taken on September 22, 2018 Thulani Maseko, human rights lawyer and activist, looks on as he gives an interview to AFP in Lobamba, Eswatini. (Photo by GIANLUIGI GUERCIA / AFP)

The embattled Kingdom of Eswatini (Swaziland) has been shaken after gunmen murdered Thulani Maseko, the country’s most famous human rights lawyer on Saturday. Western powers like Canada have labelled it an “assassination” while the UN has called for a thorough probe.

According to independent local media, Maseko was shot dead in front of his family at home in the evening on Saturday. Two bullets rifled through his window, killing him as he watched television with his wife. His attackers are said to have escaped to a waiting minibus.

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