Dozens killed in Pacific 'witch hunts'

Dozens of people brutally murdered in Papua New Guinea over allegations of witchcraft, Amnesty International UK says

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Thursday, 12, Feb 2009 03:09

Dozens of people have been brutally murdered in Papua New Guinea over allegations of witchcraft and sorcery, Amnesty International UK has said.

The human rights group is calling on authorities to investigate up to 50 killings, the most recent of which took place last week at a village close to the base of Mount Hagen.

According to Amnesty International, local men shot 60-year-old Plak Mel Doa and threw his body on to a fire before dragging his son Anis Dua out of his house and burning him alive.

Both men had reportedly been suspected of causing the death of a member of the community through witchcraft.

"When dozens of people have been killed after literal witch hunts, it's clear that the government is not doing enough to protect its own citizens and maintain the rule of law," said Amnesty International's Pacific Islands research Apolosi Bose.

"The police and judicial authorities have to step in immediately before another person faces this kind of vigilante violence."

inthenews.co.uk understands that police on the island, home to 6.3 million people, are frequently prevented from accessing crime scenes because of heavily-armed locals.

"People often don't trust the police or the judiciary and instead blame events on supernatural causes and punish suspected sorcerers," Abolosi Bose added.

"The constabulary, the public prosecution office and other relevant authorities should step up efforts to curb vigilante violence and raise awareness in communities about ways in which people can legitimately seek justice."

Witch hunts in the 21st century

• On January 30th 2009 a village court, comprising church pastors and local officials, found a 40-year-old man from a village in Unggai-Bena district in the Eastern Highland province guilty of sorcery and sentenced him to death. A group of local men then hacked him to death with bush knives.
• On January 6th a group of men stripped a woman naked, gagged and burned her alive at Kerebug rubbish dump in Mount Hagen after she was suspected of practising witchcraft.
• On January 26th 2009 Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch sent joint letters to minister for justice Dr Alan Marat and police commissioner Gari Baki expressing concern at ongoing reports of sorcery related killings, particularly of women, and called for greater action from the authorities to curb the violence and murders. To date, there has been no response.