Justice for Kepari Leniata
Kepari Leniata, a twenty-year-old woman, was brutally tortured and killed on February 6th, 2013 in the city of Mt. Hagen. She was stripped, tied up, doused in petrol and burned alive by the relatives of a boy who had died following an illness. She was accused of causing the boy’s death through sorcery.
On Friday November 14th, more than 20 months later, The National Court is finally celebrating a inquiry to seek justice for the murdered woman. During the first of the three hearings, Justice Edward Kassman, charing the inquiry, complained about the lack of support of relatives and community leaders on providing evidence. No death certificate has even been issued for Kepari Leniata yet.
The judge is determined to enforce the late rights to life of the deceased woman and also her right to freedom for inhuman treatment.
The Office of the Public Prosecutor is working on the matter and they are taking the necessary steps to make sure that the murder will be properly prosecuted. Seeking justice for cases of sorcery and witchcraft related violence and making sure that the perpetrators are held accountable for their acts, are two of the several objectives that the National Action Plan to Address Sorcery Related Violence in Papua New Guinea.
The draft action plan was drafted at a workshop in Port Moresby during the 12-13th of June 2014, after a series of conferences and efforts to find an effective way to tackle the issue of Sorcery Related Violence at the national level. The National Action Plan (NAP) seeks a comprehensive approach. It involves a number of government ministries and their departments, including the Department of Health, the Department of Education, the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary, the Department for Community Development and Religion, and DJAG. It also includes a range of non-government organisations, such as Oxfam, the Highlands Human Rights Defenders, the Family and Sexual Violence Action Committee’s networks, church organisation networks, and international development partners, such as DFAT and the United Nations.
The plan has five core areas: legal and protection, health, advocacy and communication, care and counselling, and research. Each one of these areas incorporates a few key recommendations and disposes specific activities to be carried out in particular timeframes (short and medium term).
We will be following up Kepari Leaniata’s trial. Keep an eye on our blog to know its progress.
SOURCES:
New Draft National Action Plan to Address Sorcery Accusation–Related Violence in Papua New Guinea
No justice for PNG woman burned alive in “sorcery” attack
“Inquiry begins into Hagen sorcery murder”, Post Courier Newspaper, November 11th, 2014.