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Systematic violations of rights
Worse than last year
On 19 May 2021, Motselisi Manase, a woman factory worker, was fatally shot by police during protests over pay as violent clashes erupted between factory workers and police in Maseru, Lesotho. The strike started in mid-May 2021. Workers faced heavy repression from the police forces, who claimed that the strikers were “in contravention of Covid-19 regulations”. The police used water cannons and live rounds to disperse the strikers.
On 26 April 2021, police officers attending a worker protest at the Thetsane industrial area in Maseru, Lesotho, shot at protesters with rubber bullets, leaving three hospitalised. The victims were part of a group of protesters who had gathered at the factories to demand a salary increase. Hundreds of factory workers had downed tools and organised a picket, which was eventually brutally dispersed by armed police officers.
A summary of laws protecting workers’ rights.