Tortured elder dies

 AN elderly man accused of sorcery died after he was tortured by a group of villagers in Taguru, Pangia, Southern Highlands, according to police.

Provincial police commander Chief Insp Sibron Papoto said the seven villagers tortured the man after accusing him of killing a clansman through sorcery.

He said two of the men had been arrested and charged with murder while five others were on the run.

Papoto said the old man went through great pain and eventually died of burns and wounds on his body.

He said the old man was buried on Monday at his village.

“I will send more policemen into the area to arrest five others still at large,” he said.

Papoto warned people against taking the law into their hands and that they should stop these sorcery-related killings.

“The Government has changed the law and imposed the death penalty on sorcery-related killings,” he said.

“I want to warn the people planning to commit crimes (like sorcery-related killing) to think twice before executing their plans.”

Public outcry against sorcery-related killings erupted one year ago when a mother-of-three was tortured and burned alive in public in Mt Hagen city, in the neighbouring Western Highlands.

The media here and abroad highlighted the incident, forcing the Government to propose legislation to address the problem.