Freedom in the World 1998 - Lesotho

1998 Scores

Status: Partly Free
Freedom Rating: 4.0
Civil Liberties: 4
Political Rights: 4

Overview

Lesotho ended a year of political violence and tumult with the creation of a miltiparty committee to oversee preparations for elections by mid-2000. The 24-member Interim Political Authority (IPA) was formed in December with two representatives from each of the country's 12 main political parties. The agreement allows the elected, but highly unpopular, government, which was nearly toppled by a widely supported army mutiny, to retain power, but sets early elections that are to be strictly supervised by an independent election commission.

In September, South African troops entered Lesotho at the government's request to quell army-backed protests against May election results. The poorly planned intervention was resisted by some of Lesotho's soldiers, and, while fighting raged, mobs looted and burned much of the business district of the capital, Maseru. At least 60 people were reportedly killed before order was restored several days later.

The South African forces, supported by troops from Botswana and operating under the mandate of the 14-country Southern Africa Development Community, intervened to preserve the government led by Prime Minster Pakalitha Mosisili and the ruling Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD), which won 60 percent of the vote and 79 of 80 National Assembly seats in the May vote. Street protests against the results, which were described by various international observes groups as largely free and fair, began in August and were marked by sporadic violence involving army and police units. An independent report by a South African constitutional expert in September found various irregularities, but nothing to negate the LCD's overall victory. Junior army officers then mutinied and forced the army commander and senior officers to resign, but soon returned to their barracks. By the time South African troops had entered Lesotho, Maseru was on the brink of anarchy, and a military coup, perhaps with support from King Letsie III, appeared imminent. South Africa's intervention has ensured an at least temporary peace.

Entirely surrounded by South Africa, Lesotho is highly dependent on its powerful neighbor. Its economy is sustained by remittances from its many citizens who work in South Africa. Lesotho's status as a British protectorate saved it from incorporation into South Africa. King Moshoeshoe II reigned from independence in 1966 until the installation of his son as King Letsie III in a 1990 military coup. Democratic elections in 1993 did not lead to stability. After bloody military infighting, assassinations, and a suspension of constitutional rule in 1994, King Letsie III abdicated to allow his father's reinstatement. He resumed the throne following the accidental death of his father in January 1996.

Political Rights and Civil Liberties

The IPA is preparing for new general elections by mid-2000. Legislative elections in May 1998 were determined to be generally free and fair, but the LCD's 60 per cent vote translated into an almost total exclusion of opposition representation from the National Assembly. The appearance of irregularities and the virtual elimination of opposition voices from government fueled protests against the results. The Senate, the upper house of the bicameral legislature, includes royal appointees and Lesotho's 22 principal traditional chiefs, who still wield considerable authority in rural areas. Any elected government's exercise of its constitutional authority remains limited by the autonomy of the military, the royal family, and traditional clan structures.

Courts are nominally independent, but higher courts are especially subject to outside influence. The 1984 Internal Security Act, which provides for up to 42 days of detention without charges in political cases, is among a number of laws that contradict the constitution. Freedoms of assembly, expression, and religion are generally respected. Arbitrary detention and mistreatment of civilians by security forces reportedly continue. Several nongovernmental organizations, including the Lesotho Human Rights Alert Group, operate openly.

Journalists have suffered occasional harassment and attacks. MoAfrika newspaper editor Candi Ramainoana has been a particular target. The independent print media suffered badly during South Africa's intervention in September, when nearly all of their offices were pillaged by rioting looters. The government maintains a monopoly over broadcasting, but extensive South African radio and television broadcasts reach Lesotho. In October, the information minister demanded the resignations of all state broadcasting employees who had participated in anti-government demonstrations.

Labor rights are constitutionally guaranteed. Approximately ten percent of the country's labor force, which is mostly engaged in subsistence agriculture or employment in South Africa, is unionized. Collective bargaining and the right to strike are recognized by law, but are sometimes denied by government negotiators. Legal requirements for union registration have not been enforced.

The 1993 constitution bars gender-based discrimination, but customary practice and law still restrict women's rights in several areas, including contracts, property rights, and inheritance. A woman is considered a legal minor while her husband is alive. Domestic violence is reportedly widespread.

The 1995 Privatization Act calls for extensive divestiture of state-run enterprises, which constitute almost all of the modern economic sector. Land is the property of the kingdom, and its distribution is generally controlled by local chiefs.