THE KINGDOM OF LESOTHO COMBINED SECOND TO EIGHTH PERIODIC REPORT UNDER THE AFRICAN
CHARTER ON HUMAN AND PEOPLES’ RIGHTS AND INITIAL REPORT UNDER THE PROTOCOL TO THE
AFRICAN CHARTER ON THE RIGHTS OF WOMEN IN AFRICA
116. Lesotho has been a subject of several sub-regional (SADC) mediatory efforts due to
political instabilities that plaque the country from time to time.42 The army has at all times
been seen at the centre of such problems with opposition parties accusing it of being
government cronies to suppress opposition and dissent. Whereas the government has
always insisted that the opposition is simply creating a mountain out of a mole hill in order
to discredit it, involvement of the army in Lesotho’s politics has raised concern of other
human rights treaty bodies and human rights special mandates such as the Human Rights
Committee43 and the Special Rapporteurs on Torture, Enforced Disappearances.44
Administrative measures
117. In order to ensure citizen’s participation in government several legal notices pertaining to
election time-table, appointment of nomination courts, returning officers, registration and
suspension of registration as well as registration of 17 year olds are drafted and gazetted.
118. Lesotho has adopted a National Decentralisation policy 2014: The purpose of the
decentralisation policy is to deepen and sustain grassroots-based democratic governance
and promote equitable local development by enhancing citizen participation and
strengthening the local government system, while maintaining effective functional and
mutually accountable linkages between central and local government entities. The
Decentralisation Policy has been formulated on the basis of the aspirations of democratic,
42
Lesotho has had a total of four regional interventions by SADC due to political instabilities since 1994 with the
last one in 2015.
43 Human Rights Committee (HRC), Concluding observations on Lesotho’s initial report 8 April 1999 UN Doc
CCPR/C/79/Add.106 paras 14, 16 - 19 in which the Committee raised its concerns about numerous
instances of torture of persons in custody, excessive use of force, prolonged detention as well as impunity
for crimes and abuses committed by members of the military
44 OHCHR Letter to the Government of Lesotho ‘Mandates of the Working group on Arbitration; the Special
Rapporteur on independence of judges and lawyers; the Special Rapportuer on extrajudicial, summary or
arbitrary executions; and the Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment
or punishment’ 30 November 2015
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