The victim, Kepari Leniata, was accused of killing a six-year-old boy. It is claimed she was subjected to torture, and that she subsequently admitted to using sorcery to kill the child. According to The National, the boy’s relatives tortured her with a hot iron, stripped her naked, tied up her hands and legs and threw her in a pyre.
The event attracted many spectators, including children, many of whom snapped pictures of the scene. Police and hospital staff who arrived at the burning were unable to save her, as they were outnumbered by supporters of the incident.
Photos of Leniata being burned alive appeared on the front page of the country’s leading national dailies. Though this marks the most public display of witch-burning, the practise is not uncommon in Papua New Guinea.
