SECTOR 1 1.4 Government makes every effort to honour regional and international instruments on freedom of expression and the media. Nearly twenty years on from the Declaration of Principles on Freedom of Expression in Africa adopted by the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights in 2002, the independence of the press is not guaranteed and the Swazi airwaves remain under state control. “We are still where we were at independence because the media landscape has not changed that much.” For an unprecedented three years in a row, the ILO has found that Swaziland does not comply with international labour standards. Swaziland has signed and ratified the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, along with the African Charter on “...the government Human and Peoples’ Rights, and various Southern African Development Community (SADC) protocols. makes every effort “Appending the signature is not a problem for us, and NOT to honour these is linked to beatifying ourselves to an external audience. instruments!” Beyond signing, there are processes to make guarantees a reality on the ground. We do the paper work to shut out the noise.” However, honouring these regional and international instruments requires a country to go much further and to include their provisions in domestic law, and for these laws to be implemented. In the case of Swaziland, “the government makes every effort NOT to honour these instruments!” Scores: Individual scores: 1 Country does not meet indicator 2 Country meets only a few aspects of indicator 3 Country meets some aspects of indicator 4 Country meets most aspects of indicator. 5 Country meets all aspects of the indicator Average score: 1.5 (2009: 1.9; 2007 and 2005: n/a) AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER SWAZILAND 2011 17