NGOCC hails acquittal murder accused wife

The Non -governmental Organizations’ Coordinating Council (NGOCC) has hailed as a landmark the ruling in which High Court Judge Betty Mung’omba has acquitted Elizabeth Lungu of Mtendere Compound accused of murdering her husband Anthony Nkhoma.

In a statement, NGOCC Board Chairperson Sara Longwe says the judgment resonates with her organization’s sentiments advanced in earlier statements that most of the women who kill their husbands do so in self defense.

Ms Longwe notes that in many instances where women kill their husbands, investigations have shown that such women would have been victims of domestic violence who act in self defense.

She says in the past, courts have found women in similar circumstances guilty of murder without giving due recognition of the circumstances that would have led to the death.

Ms Longwe, however, states that the NGOCC does not condone any form of Gender Based Violence (GBV) whether perpetuated by women or men; neither is NGOCC justifying GBV perpetuated by women.

She says the NGOCC calls on investigative wings to consider the extenuating factors in cases where women have been accused of murdering their spouses.

Ms Longwe says the NGOCC applauds the judiciary for taking steps in appreciating the extenuating factors surrounding women who find themselves in cases of GBV.