The Eswatini Supreme Court has controversially reinstated the state’s appeal against a liberal landmark high court judgment passed in 2016.

After a lapse of six years, Eswatini’s Supreme Court has controversially condoned and reinstated an appeal by the government against a 2016 high court judgment that had declared swathes of the country’s terrorism and sedition and subversive activities laws to be unconstitutional.

The 2016 high court judgment had ruled that the 1938 Sedition and Subversive Activities Act and the 2008 Suppression of Terrorism Act violated several rights to freedom enshrined in the constitution. The verdict was considered a landmark decision upholding the rule of law against the absolute monarchy of King Mswati III.

Now Swazi democrats fear a decision by the Supreme Court on 22 September to allow the state to appeal against the historic high court judgment will almost certainly lead to it being overturned.

Read full article: Historic Swazi court judgment striking down parts of sedition and terrorism laws is under threat