Man sentenced by Malawi court over spreading vampire rumours
Police arrested several members of vigilante mobs that targeted people accusing them of vampirism
(Web Desk) – Malawian court has recently sentenced a man to hard labour for three months after convicting him of spreading false rumours of the threat of vampires, according to TRT World.
Over a hundred people have been arrested by law-enforcement agencies in the region after a vigilante mob conducted attacks on people as they accused them of vampirism. As many as nine were reportedly lynched in the attacks against ‘vampirism’ on a group of people by vigilante mobs.
Several danger zones have been pointed out in Malawi by the United States (US) embassy and United Nations (UN) for nationals and staffers keeping in view the wide-scale threat of vigilante mobs. The attacks were reported to begin from September, this year. Mobs attacked people accusing them of witchcraft in four districts of southern Malawi.
Malawi court sentences man for spreading vampire rumours, as police attempt to stop lynchings, with 9 deaths so far https://t.co/p1n8AcupRQ pic.twitter.com/6q4FulG1mq
— TRT World (@trtworld) October 23, 2017
Similar incidents came to light this week when vigilantes burnt down one person while stoning another to death. All this happened in, the country’s second-largest city, Blantyre.
When police was approached for comment, they claimed that they have arrested 140 suspects belonging from such mobs that have taken law in their own hands against ‘vampirism’. More contingents of police have been called in the streets to protect innocent people from the attacks.
The authorities are taken special steps to identify the persons who are spreading rumours of vampires.
