Barrister Calvin Ndangoh Tah explains the incidence and implications of mob justice.

What explains the apparent rise in mob justice in the country today?

We understand that the rise in mob justice is due to the fact that some Cameroonians are prone to taking the law into their hands and want to do justice themselves. Mob justice is usually practised where there is no law such as in a jungle where there is survival of the fittest.

In a country like ours where there are laws, there is no need for mob justice. Mob justice is criminal in Cameroon because there are institutions that are in charge of enforcing law and order.

How is mob justice punished under Cameroonian law?

Under Cameroonian law, no one has the right to cause harm or kill another. Offences resulting from it could be simple or grievous harm, murder, assault occasioning grievous harm, amongst others. The prison terms depend on the harm caused. For example, slight harm is a simple offence with imprisonment from one to two years.

If you cause harm to somebody resulting in the loss of a part of his body, which is felony, this could fetch you 10 years or more of imprisonment. Cameroonians also have to understand that even if you stand there and watch somebody being beaten to death, you will be sued for failure to assist which could earn you at least five years imprisonment.

How do you live mob justice in our courts?

There is a case that I personally witnessed in Bamenda. Somebody was beaten and luckily did not die. It was a mistake of identity. The mob intended to beat a thief but finally caught a person that was also chasing the thief. The person was beaten to the point of death but did not die.

So, the forces of law and order arrested the people and they were prosecuted in court. People said they did it because whenever they arrest somebody, they see the person back on the streets. The justice system has its canons. People think that whenever a person is arrested he should just go straight to jail. There is a whole process. Even if the person has to go to jail, the judicial process should be followed.

Once a person has not been tried by a court of law, he is presumed innocent. You are not authorised to cause harm to anybody for any reason. Although the law admits there could be situations of self-defence.