Feb. 18
PAPUA NEW GUINEA:
Witch Burning Suspects Charged; Could Face Death Penalty
2 people were charged on Monday by police in Papua New Guinea for the
disturbing killing of a woman who was tortured and burned alive in front of
hundreds of spectators because of accusations she practiced witchcraft.
Janet Ware and Andrew Watea were charged with murder for the February 6 killing
of Kepari Leniata. The 2 suspects could face the death penalty as murder in
Papua New Guinea is a capital offense, the Associated Press reports.
The victim, a 20-year-old mother, was stripped nude, tortured mercilessly with
a hot iron rod, and then doused in gasoline before she was burned alive at a
trash site by an angry mob. Police at the Western Highlands provincial capital
of Mount Hagen, where the murder took place, say they were powerless to stop
the blood thirsty crowd which included young children.
News of the witch burning spread like wildfire as international news wires
circulated the story. Gory photographs of the murder were printed on the cover
of the South Pacific island's most popular newspaper. The cruel act of tribal
justice was condemned by diplomats from around the world.
Authorities say the 2 suspected acted in retaliation. They say that Leniata was
accused of using sorcery leading to the death of a 6-year-old boy that was
hospitalized at the time. Ware and Watea are the dead boy's mother and uncle.
Over 40 people have been apprehended but were later released because
investigators lacked evidence, authorities say. But they caution that more
arrests could be on the way.
(source: latinospost.com)
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