In Mozambique, A Naked Woman Is Beaten And Shot By Men In Uniform. Where Is The Humanity?
In my line of work, there are times when I watch stuff that is scarring. Like this unverified video of a woman being beaten and shot at in Mozambique. After witnessing, what has been a downright disturbing and difficult video to process or even make sense of, we are forced to ask ourselves whether wearing a uniform and holding a gun gives us enough right to publicly and brutally kill a woman, who was clearly taken down in one shot but was still hit 30 times after that.
Soldiers of the Mozambique army were caught on camera beating and executing a naked woman suspected of being an insurgent. The video that is horrifying to say the least, is now making rounds on social media and shows how the men are marching behind the woman who had been stripped of all clothing. She was then seen hit on the head and the body with sticks until they start openly firing at her.
While doing so, they yelled at her slurs that said, “You’re from al-Shabab”, referring to a militant group that is known for the massive insurgency against the government since 2017. Calling her an insurgent, these men executed the woman in the most gruesome ways, shooting at her even after she was dead. Leaving aside her political affiliations, shooting relentlessly at an unarmed woman, stripped off of her clothes and clobbering her with stones and sticks and then shooting at her over 30 times, speaks more about their lack of humanity than anything else. While stories of atrocities against women abound across the world, that this has happened in Mozambique where a woman has been shot in this manner, is alarming.
Mozambique’s defence ministry acknowledged the video, condemning the “horrifying” images and called for an investigation to “ascertain their authenticity”. The minister said, “The defence and security forces reiterate that they do not agree with any barbaric act that substantiates the violation of human rights.”
It is worrying that so many men thought it was important to make such a terrifying example of the death of this one woman, who was ripped off of her dignity and her rights as a human being. No matter what happens, we must remember not to abandon our humanity.
