JUSTICE FOR KANANELO BOLOETSE

We, the undersigned citizens, journalists, civil society organisations, media practitioners and concerned members of the public, call upon the Government of the Kingdom of Lesotho to urgently ensure justice for Kananelo Boloetse and to establish an independent Commission of Inquiry into the circumstances surrounding his abduction, torture and death threats.
On the evening of Saturday, 5 September 2026, Kananelo Boloetse was abducted from his home in Katlehong, Maseru, by three armed men. He was reportedly blindfolded, restrained with cable ties and gagged with tape before being driven to a remote location near the Phuthiatsana River in Thaba Bosiu, where he was tortured.
The assailants allegedly issued a direct death threat, warning that he would be killed if reports of his torture appeared on social media or were broadcast on MoAfrika FM.
These are not merely allegations of an ordinary criminal act. They represent a grave attack on the life, security, dignity and freedom of a person and raise deeply disturbing questions about the safety of journalists, the protection of citizens and the state of the rule of law in Lesotho.
The seriousness and circumstances of the incident require more than a routine criminal investigation. They require an independent, impartial and transparent inquiry capable of examining the full circumstances surrounding the abduction and torture, including whether there was any official involvement, prior knowledge, abuse of state authority, negligence, obstruction or failure by public institutions to prevent, investigate or properly respond to the incident.

WE DEMAND:
1. An independent Commission of Inquiry
The Government of Lesotho must urgently establish an independent Commission of Inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the abduction, torture and death threats against Kananelo Boloetse.
The Commission must have a clear and sufficiently broad mandate to establish the facts surrounding the incident, including:
the circumstances leading to the abduction;
the identity and actions of the perpetrators;
whether the perpetrators acted alone or on the instructions of, or with assistance from, any other person or entity;
whether any public official or institution had prior knowledge of a threat to Boloetse or knowledge of plans to arrest, detain, abduct or otherwise harm him;
whether any state official, law-enforcement agency or public institution participated in, facilitated, enabled, concealed or obstructed any aspect of the incident;
the response of the relevant authorities before, during and after the incident;
the handling and preservation of evidence;
the conduct of the criminal investigation; and
any failures, omissions or systemic weaknesses that may have contributed to the incident or compromised the pursuit of justice.
The Commission must be independent of any person or institution whose conduct may be subject to investigation and must have the powers necessary to compel evidence and witnesses, subject to the law.
2. An immediate and thorough criminal investigation
The Government must ensure that the abduction, torture, threats and all circumstances surrounding the attack are investigated urgently, professionally and without interference.
The establishment of a Commission of Inquiry must not replace, suspend or prejudice the criminal investigation. The two processes should proceed independently and complement one another.
3. An impartial investigation
The criminal investigation must be demonstrably independent and impartial. No person, institution or political interest should be permitted to influence, obstruct or compromise the investigation.
4. Identification and prosecution of those responsible
The perpetrators, organisers, financiers, instigators and any persons who assisted, facilitated or concealed the crime must be identified and, where evidence supports it, prosecuted in accordance with the law.
5. Preservation of evidence
All potentially relevant evidence must be urgently secured and preserved, including physical, digital, telecommunications, forensic and documentary evidence that may assist in establishing what happened and who was responsible.
6. Accountability for any official involvement or obstruction
If any state official or public institution is found to have participated in, facilitated, concealed or obstructed the crime or the investigation into it, those responsible must face appropriate legal and administrative consequences in accordance with the law.
7. Protection for Kananelo Boloetse and other witnesses
Given the reported threats against his life, the State must take all reasonable measures necessary to protect Boloetse and anyone else whose safety may be compromised because of the investigation, the Commission of Inquiry or their testimony.
8. Regular public updates
The Government should provide credible and timely updates on the progress of the criminal investigation and the work of the Commission, while protecting sensitive information that could compromise ongoing investigations or the safety of witnesses.
9. Justice, not silence
We reject any attempt to intimidate, silence or discourage journalists, activists or citizens from speaking about this incident. A crime does not become less serious because it is inconvenient, embarrassing or politically sensitive. 

OUR APPEAL

The Government of Lesotho has a constitutional and moral responsibility to protect the lives and dignity of its people and to uphold the rule of law.

A journalist and activist should not have to choose between doing his work and staying alive.

If a person can be abducted from his home, transported to an isolated location, tortured and threatened with death because of what may be reported about his ordeal, then every journalist, activist and ordinary citizen has reason to ask whether they are safe.

The circumstances of this incident demand answers that cannot be left solely to institutions whose conduct, decisions or possible failures may themselves require examination.

We therefore call upon the Government of Lesotho to establish an independent Commission of Inquiry, alongside a thorough criminal investigation, and to ensure that both processes are credible, transparent and free from political or institutional interference.

We call upon the Government to demonstrate, through decisive action, that no individual is above the law and no victim is beneath the protection of the State.

We demand an independent Commission of Inquiry.

We demand a credible criminal investigation.

We demand accountability.

We demand protection.

We demand justice for Kananelo Boloetse.

Justice for Kananelo Boloetse is justice for the rule of law in Lesotho.