When a man was caught stealing, almost immediately a crowd of angry people gathered around him, ready to carry out an act of street justice. They beat him with sticks and threw stones at him. Whether he managed to survive the lynching is not known.
Situations where residents take justice into their own hands are quite common on the African continent. This stems mainly from low education in rural areas and a general distrust of the police (which, however, is often justified due to corruption).
But whatever the reasons for the lynching, the fact remains that it is a gross violation of human rights. Even the greatest thief has the right to a fair trial and punishment according to the law. Anyone who participates in a lynching often exposes themselves to greater legal penalties than the person being lynched.
