A way to truly honour Leniata

Editorial, Normal
Source:

The National, Monday February 10th, 2014

 LAST Thursday marked the first anniversary of the horrific death of Kepari Leniata, the 20-year-old woman who was suspected of sorcery and was tortured and burnt to death in broad daylight in Mt Hagen, Western Highlands.

As Leniata Legacy founder Philma Kelegai reminded Papua New Guineans of this tragedy, police in neighbouring Southern High­lands reported a similar killing of an elderly man who was tortured by a group of villagers in Pangia after they accused him of killing a clansman through sorcery.

Provincial police com­mand­er Chief Insp Sibron Papoto reported that the old man went through great pain and eventually succumbed to the burns and injuries he suffered from the lynch mob. 

Like the terrifying ordeal that the young mother-of three went through, the elderly man was subjected to the brutalisation of his frail body by a bunch of savages who deserve the ultimate penalty of death.

Police should be commen­ded for their rapid response in arresting and charging two of the alleged killers and pursuing five others still at large. They should be hunted down and locked up while they face the full force of the law.

After what happened to Leniata on February 6, 2013, and the uproar that reverberated throughout PNG and around the world, it seems that our remote villagers are still unaware of the legislative changes that have made sorcery-related killings punishable by death.

Papoto warned the people of Southern Highlands ag­ainst taking the law into their hands and to stop sorcery-related killings. “The Gov­ernment has changed the law and imposed the death penalty on sorcery-related killings.”

That statement by a senior police officer should have been emphasised and re-emphasisedby other relevant government authorities and agencies over the past 12 months through aggressive nationwide awareness campaigns. 

The fact that Parliament has approved tougher pen­alties for these crimes does not necessarily mean that all our citizens are aware of these changes. Most of them need to be well informed, especially those in the rural areas. Ignorance of the law is no excuse for breaking it. By the same token, greater effort should be made by state authorities to inform and educate our citizens about these pertinent issues.

Kelegai rightly said Leni­ata was a victim of a fear that has been indoctrinated culturally in PNG. “It has resulted in countless unnecessary injuries, exiles and deaths. The culprits of these heinous crimes have received next to no punishment and instead are celebrated for their part in the maiming and killing of others.” We could not agree more.

While it will take a her­culean effort to stamp out sorcery-related killings, the Government must ensure that the population is in­formed and educated about the changes to the criminal laws and the imposition of tougher penalties, including the death penalty.

Government information agencies like the National Broadcasting Corporation should be used to promote greater awareness on these issues, particularly radio broadcasts which are more accessible to rural people. As part of this awareness, government schools should include lessons about these issues.  In this country, es­pecially in rural areas, children often educate or pass on information about things they learn in school to their illiterate parents. If these children are educated about laws pertaining to sorcery and sorcery-related killings they are bound to pass on this information to their parents and relatives who will become aware and help to prevent these crimes.

Leniata’s death sparked a nationwide movement against sorcery-related kill­ings, which eventually led to legislative changes that imposed the maximum pe­nalty of death for offenders.

There have been fewer incidents reported in the news media since then but that does not mean there are fewer sorcery-related killings. The latest death implies this heinous crime is still being committed by people who live by the law of the jungle and have no respect for human lives.

Let’s truly honour Leniata and the other victims by eradicating the ignorance that persists within our society through education and greater awareness.