Swaziland High Court Judge Mpendulo Simelane sentenced an editor and a writer to two years in jail to deter other journalists from criticizing the state.
He made this clear in remarks from the court on Friday (25 July 2014) when he sentenced Bheki Makhubu, editor of the Nation magazine, and Thulani Maseko, a human rights lawyer and writer, to two years in prison without an option of a fine.
The pair had written articles critical of Chief Justice Michael Ramodibedi and the Swaziland judiciary.
Swaziland is not a democracy and is ruled by King Mswati III, sub-Saharan Africa's last absolute monarch.
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