Sinoe County – Nine men have been arrested, interrogated, charged and indicted for abusing three women, one of whom later died, in Sinoe County.
Ten other people are also on the run following the arrest of nine alleged perpetrators, an official of the Ministry of Justice told FrontPageAfrica Wednesday in Monrovia.
Those indicted and forwarded to the 3rd Judicial Circuit Court in Greenville city are Moses Solo, Jr., Shelton Kelgbeh, Teah Gmawlue, Marshall Gbala and Anthony Karmoh.
Wilson Payne alias Swen Pyne, Victor Solo and Sylvester T. Cherdy have also been indicted for murder, gang rape, attempted murder, criminal facilitation, and aggravated assault in connection with what has been described by many as the “barbaric abuse” of three women, one of which has been reported dead.
“We will ensure the time prosecution of these individuals to serve as a serious deterrent,” says Wesseh A. Wesseh, Assistant Minister for Litigation at the Ministry of Justice.
Minister Wesseh said those on the run have fled to an isolated area. Some, he said, are hiding in the infamous ‘governmnet camp’, notorious for crimes and illegal mining.
He said the police is on the lookout to have them arrested.
A video recording recently went viral on Facebook, showing three women stripped naked, flogged, coerced and paraded in the community.
The women were coerced to make confessions that they are involved with witchcraft activities and were responsible for a missing 13-year old boy.
The boy had gone missing on December 13 last year. The community had searched for the missing boy to no avail.
The video showed the women being abused by a group of men, and reports later suggested that the women were sexually assaulted.
One of the victims, Willean Nywallah, later died after she had bled profusely. Her body was abandoned but was later found decomposed.
Minister Wesseh said there are mixed reactions coming from the community, with some residents alleging that the governmnet arrested “their sons”.
But they have been told that those arrested were carrying out “jungle justice” which is illeagal, he said.
“For them, that was justice that they were carrying out but we say no! In this modern day Liberia, you can’t administer jungle justice because trial by ordeal is outlawed by our statute,” he said.
“You cannot accuse someone of being a witch and try to administer jungle justice.”
Wesseh assured women advocacy groups in the country that justice will prevail but said, “in as much as the nine people have been indicted it doesn’t mean they are guilty until the court finds them guilty”. “For us, it is not about convicting them, it is about ensuring that justice prevail.”