 For more videos on people's struggles please subscribe to our YouTube channel. Hello and welcome back to Around the World in 8 Minutes where we bring you stories of working class struggles from across the globe. For the past several weeks the people of Swaziland which was renamed Iswateri in 2018 by King Swati III have been engaged in mobilizations across the country. They are demanding an end to the absolute monarchy and the creation of a people's government with a multi-party democracy and democratic ownership of the economy. Swaziland is the last remaining absolute monarchy on the African continent and one of the few remaining in the world. King Swati III has been ruling over the small nation since 1986, four years after the death of his father King Soboosa. Currently, the Swazi people do not even have the right to elect their own prime minister. The prime minister is in fact appointed by the king who also appoints ministers of the cabinet, the top jurists, two by third of the upper house of the parliament and 12% of the lower house. While the remaining members of parliament are elected from their constituencies, the democratic character of these elections are compromised. Each constituency is divided into several chief doubles which are administered by chiefs not elected through popular votes. The chiefs have the power to vet the candidates who intend to participate in the elections. Those vetted by the chiefs alone can contest in these elections as individuals and not representatives of any groups or political parties. Political parties have in fact been banned in Swaziland since 1973 when King Soboosa II suspended the constitution, dissolved the legislature and assumed absolute power. With the economy under the control of the royal family, Swaziland has turned into the country with the most unequal wealth distribution in the world. According to a report released at the World Economic Forum Africa in 2017, 70% of the population languishes in poverty while the king reportedly spends billions of dollars every year on grand festivities, palaces, jewels, a fleet of doll's Royce cars and much more. Even before the pandemic, the country's severely underfunded hospitals have been running out of medicine and crucial supplies. The democratization of the economy and the state guarantee of healthcare and education are also central demands of the pro-democracy movement. Under the monarchy, dissent has been met with brutal repression. While freedom of association is recognized by law, protests and strikes are often met with a heavy hand by security forces. Charges under the separation of terrorism act are frequently used to persecute activists and union leaders. On June 24, in light of the ongoing pro-democracy protests, King Maswati III's government imposed a ban on demonstrations. For almost a week, residents in almost all of Swaziland's 59 constituencies delivered petitions of demands to the offices of their members of parliament. In several constituencies, these demands were organized by the Communist Party of Swaziland. These demands presented by the people include an end to the absolute monarchy, quality healthcare and education, democratization of the economy and restoration of democratic rights. Organizers of these mobilizations highlighted that for the first time, the protests were not limited to urban areas but also spread across rural Swatili. However, these peaceful mobilizations were met with violent repression by the police. In response, on the evening of June 28, youth took to the streets in Matsafa. Protesters blocked main roads and highways with burning tires. Businesses owned by the monarch and his associates were torched in at least two towns. Many properties owned by the king and his associates including supermarkets, cars, trucks etc. were set ablaze. Protesters turned to economic disruption as a political stranglehold with the king is deeply tied in with his control over the economy. He is the sole trustee of the TBO Takanagwane, a secretive corporation unaccountable to the public or the parliament which owns a majority chunk of the critical sectors of the economy. These sectors include diamond and coal mining, sugar processing, brick and tile manufacturing, dairy processing, breweries, banking, shipping, shopping malls, supermarkets, housing estates and commercial properties. Following the intensified protests on June 28, the monarch allegedly fled the country and instructed the army to put down the protests. On June 29 and 30, security forces unleashed brutal repression on the protesters. The political parties assembly, a coalition of five political parties, has announced that it had documented the names and addresses of at least 43 protesters killing in the crackdown on pro-democracy protests. The task of verification has been slowed down by the internet blockade that was imposed on Tuesday, June 29. So far, close to a thousand people have been injured, a large number of them with gunshot wounds, according to the PPA. Most of the killings and injuries occur on June 29 when the army opened fire on the hundreds of youth who had started attacking the properties and businesses owned by the king. While protests and shootings were also reported on Wednesday, June 30, most areas of the country were by then brought under the army's control. The army has taken advantage of the temporary retreat by protesters and according to reports it is allegedly breaking into people's homes and assaulting and arresting those suspected of having taken part in the protests. The PPA estimates that about 500 people have been arrested. With the suspension of internet services, most communication outside Swaziland has also been effectively cut off and internal communication has been heavily restricted. Two South African journalists from the progressive publication New Frame who were in Swaziland covering the situation were detained on their way home from the funeral of a protester. They were subsequently assaulted and tortured by the police and only released after the intervention by a legal team. As organizations now struggle to account for the missing injured in debt and face further retaliation from the government and security forces, they vow that the struggle for democracy is not over. That's all your time for this week. We'll be back next week with more news from around the world. Until then, keep watching People's Dispatch.