Lawyer Sosu applauds the 12-year sentence given to Akua Denteh’s murderers

Francis-Xavier Sosu, a human rights advocate and the Member of Parliament for Madina, has applauded the Tamale High Court’s decision to sentence the two people charged with killing Akua Denteh, 90, in 2020.

The 90-year-old woman was killed after being accused of witchcraft and lynched.

The chief of the Kafaba community was one of seven people detained by police in the Savannah region.

The Tamale High Court sentenced the suspects, Hajia Serena Mohammed and Latifa Bomaye, to 12 years in prison on Tuesday, July 4, following a three-year court case.

Francis-Xavier Sosu stated in an interview with Citi News that it is “welcome news” because for a very long time, there have been many persons who have committed acts of this magnitude of injustice and criminality against other people under the guise of either exorcising them or dealing with witchcraft. Despite being accused of murder, they were found guilty of manslaughter. We can confidently state that the twelve years may act as a useful deterrence to other people who might be in that situation.

“We believed that the case was one of straightforward murder, but we will accept the jury’s finding of manslaughter if that is what they decide. In any case, we were advocating for a life sentence for them because of what they did to the helpless elderly woman.

To hasten the handling of such cases, he claimed that Parliament would shortly push for the enactment of the Anti-Witchcraft Accusation Bill.

“We are pressing Parliament to enact this Anti-Witchcraft allegation Bill because if there is no allegation, then none of the other subsequent events, activities, or harm will even take place in the first place. However, because to the endurance of these charges of witchcraft, some individuals may be treated unfairly and branded as witches.

“If this Bill passes, the basis for all of these claims will no longer exist. According to Mr. Sosu, such scenarios in which one person treats another poorly and ultimately results in harm or death will no longer exist.

Source: Mynewsghana.com