-As the Justice Ministry arrests 9 suspects
By Our Reporter
Reports from Liberia’s Southeastern Sinoe County say one of the three women publicly beaten and tortured the town of Numopoh has died.
The area is some 253 kilometers from the Liberian capital, Monrovia.
A Reporter from Greenville told the Fabric FM in Monrovia on Wednesday morning that the dead woman, whose name was not disclosed, died recently.
The three women publically humiliated were accused of being involved in witchcraft and linked to the death of a child.
He said the incident, which was captured on video that went viral this week on the social media, actually happened some two months ago in December 2018.
The Journalist said the video appeared to have been leaked, as it was in the possession of local authorities in Sinoe ever since the distasteful incident happened.
According to him, they were trying to handle the incident quietly until the video went viral.
It’s not known whether it was one of the officials that leaked the video.
But this week, Justice Ministry officials said they have arrested nine suspects in connection with the incident and the nine have since been indicted by the Grand Jury, for an act that has been widely condemned.
VP Taylor, Rep. Nagbe Sloh strongly condemn humiliation
Vice President Chief Dr. Jewel Howard-Taylor and Sinoe County’s District #2 Representative, J. Nagbe Sloh have already condemned the act.
In a statement on Tuesday, the Liberian Vice President emphasized how shocked she was by the distasteful video footage, in which two females are seen stripped naked and been assaulted by some residents of Sinoe County.
“I am exceedingly shocked by a distasteful video circulating on social media, in which two females were stripped naked and assaulted by some residents of Sinoe County, VP Howard-Taylor said.
The Vice President termed as extremely demeaning for females, regardless of the allegations, to be paraded in the streets naked as a punitive measure for their actions or inactions. She stressed that any act of torture against women in Liberia and the world at large is unacceptable and must be discouraged.
The first female Liberian Vice President has meanwhile assured that the Government of Liberia, under the able leadership of His Excellency Dr. George Manneh Weah, has demonstrated unquestionable the needed political will to bridge the gap of gender inequality to ensure the protection of women’s rights.
VP Howard-Taylor then applauded the Liberia National Police for making some swift arrests of perpetrators, admonishing them to ensure that those found guilty bear the full weight of the law.
As a global icon for women’s rights and gender equality, VP Howard-Taylor further assured that all efforts would be made to ensure that women are safe, secure and dignified.
She then expressed her empathy with the families of those tortured women, who she lamented will continue to carry the scars of humiliation and public ridicule being displayed.
“I want to reaffirm my commitment to the affected women and their families, and I will cross all barriers to ensure that the case is brought to its logical conclusion, sparing no perpetrator, within the confines of the law”, the Liberian Vice President noted.
Representative Sloh said the incident has embarrassed all civilized people, especially Liberian citizens from Sinoe around the world.
“In these civilized days, only persons suffering from chronic insanity
and irreversible mental derangement can even think of meting out such abnormal
and violent social behavior against any human being, let alone women.”
Refuting media reports that the incident took place in his
district, Mr. Sloh added: “No matter where this ugly incident occurred, it must
be condemned by all civilized human beings.”