Case file · Witch trials
Killing of Kepari Leniata, Mount Hagen
In February 2013, 20-year-old Kepari Leniata was burned alive by a mob in Mount Hagen after being accused of killing a boy by sorcery (sanguma); photographs of the killing caused outrage around the world.
2013 CE · -5.86, 144.23 · status: official
The account
Her death became a turning point in campaigns against sorcery-related violence in Papua New Guinea, where the Law Reform Commission had found that attacks were rising.
The sceptical view
Human-rights groups stress that accusations target the vulnerable, often women, after unexplained deaths or illness.