Lesotho: Human Rights

Lesotho is a constitutional monarchy with a democratic parliamentary government. Under the constitution, the king is head of state but does not actively participate in political activities. The prime minister is head of government and has executive authority. In June 2012, the first peaceful transfer of power from one government to another took place, as Prime Minister Motsoahae Thomas Thabane, leader of the All Basotho Convention (ABC) party, took the oath of office. The May 2012 parliamentary elections gave no political party a majority. The ruling Democratic Congress (DC) party won a plurality of the vote, but three other political parties ? the ABC, Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD), and the Basotho National Party (BNP) ? won 61 seats in the 120-seat National Assembly and formed the first coalition government in the country?s history. Domestic and international observers characterized the election as peaceful and conducted in a credible, transparent, and professional manner. Authorities maintained effective control over the security forces. Security forces committed human rights abuses. Cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment and torture by police and societal abuse of women and children were the most significant human rights problems in the country. Other human rights problems included reported deaths in police custody, lengthy pretrial detention, long trial delays, and official corruption. Societal abuses included stigmatization of persons with disabilities, human trafficking, discrimination against persons with HIV/AIDS, and child labor. The government took some steps to prosecute officials who committed abuses, whether in the security services or elsewhere in the government; however, impunity was a problem.