Four women accused of witchcraft are stripped, tied up and burned by angry mob

Horrifying footage has emerged showing four women
suspected of witchcraft being tortured, stripped, tied up
and burned by an angry mob in Papua New Guinea.
The women were accused of sorcery after a young man
fell ill in a village in Enga province in August.
Social media posts said the women were accused of
“invisibly” taking the man’s heart, and then putting it
back after they were tortured. In their attackers’ eyes
this would also prove their guilt as sorcerers.
In the footage, the women are being prodded and
threatened with machetes while being questioned by a
group of men.
According to the translation the women deny having
done anything, and plead with their attackers.
The woman begs: "My son, stop it!” says one woman,
laying on the ground.
“Talk out, where did you put it?” comes the reply.
“Burn her with the wire.”
“I’ve got nothing to do with it,” says another
woman. “I am a mother with five children.”
But the attackers ignore their pleas, with one saying:
"Don't just hit her, burn her."
It is thought at least one woman died after the ordeal
but there was no confirmation of that.
The video was initially shared on social media by
students, who, according to one source, did it to show
they approved of the torturers' actions.
The Guardian was told by two PNG sources the women
were accused of sorcery after a young man fell ill in a
village in Enga province in August.
Social media posts said the women were accused of
“invisibly” taking the man’s heart, and then putting it
back after they were tortured. In their attackers’ eyes
this would also prove their guilt as sorcerers.
“There’s no real way they can prove themselves
innocent,” one PNG source who has been involved
in rescues of victims of sorcery-related violence,
told Guardian Australia. “Once they’re suspected
they’re basically done for, they’ll be tortured and
maybe killed as well.”
It’s not police photos or anything of the crime being
shared,” said the source involved in rescues of victims.
“It’s actual participants who are there and
actually bragging about what they’re doing. It’s
kind of like a Abu Ghraib video or something.”
He said he was aware of many people sharing the video
on their smartphones, including high school students,
and said it wasn’t out of horror but rather approval for
the actions being taken against the four accused
women.
“There’s no logic going on in the matter … To try
to talk logically, even to students, doesn’t really
get you very far. They say, we have evidence and
you ask what kind of evidence and they say it’s
invisible evidence you can’t see it,” he said.
“It’s hard to argue against that.”
"The PNG Government has approved a National
Action Plan against Sorcery Accusation Violence.
Now it must be implemented effectively and as
soon as possible by everyone concerned including
police, the legal system, health, education, NGOs,
community leaders and the churches."
The incident is just one of numerous acts of violence or
death related to accusations of sorcery. Anger is
increasing among Papua New Guineans as the attackers
go unpunished.