Lynching of Army Captain very barbaric and dangerous - Emile Short

The Former Boss of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) Justice Emile Short has described as barbaric the instance justice meted out to Captain Maxwell Mahama who was the Detachment Commander at Diaso in the Central Region.

According to him, such acts dent the democratic credentials of the country wondering why the trend has not been curtailed.

Speaking on Ultimate Breakfast Show hosted by Lantam Papanko, he said no person has the right to take the law into his/her hands suggesting that the perpetrators involved in the lynching be brought to book to serve as deterrent to others.

Justice Short indicated that it is wrong for people to lynch others no matter the suspect’s crime saying it is a practice that must be frowned up.

He described as a very dangerous practice which should not be entertained warning that if measures are not put in place, innocent people will be killed.

‘Well this practice of lynching is a very barbaric practice, … and its totally unacceptable in a civilised and democratic society. Its completely violates the rule of law, in any democratic society governed by the rule of law. Institutions have been put in place to deal with crime, the police, judiciary and so on, and these institutions must be allowed to do whatever they have been empowered to do… Its a very dangerous practice, it doesn’t give a good impression to the international community about our country,’ he said.

Justice Emile called on the media to sensitise the public about the consequences of these heinous acts.

Captain Mahama was mistaken for an armed robber on Monday, pelted with stones and burnt to death at Denkyiraboase on his way from jogging by an irate youth who claimed robbers have been terrorising residents.

The Denkyiraboase is now a ghost town as majority of the youth have fled fearing that the untoward might happen when the soldiers storm the town to revenge their colleague’s death.