Necklacing

Necklacingis a method ofextrajudicial summary executionand torture carried out by forcing a rubbertiredrenched withpetrolaround a victim's chest and arms, and setting it onfire.The term "necklace" originated in the 1980s in black townships of apartheid South Africa where suspected apartheid collaborators were publicly executed in this fashion.^[1]

South Africa

Necklacing was used by the black community to punish its members who were perceived as collaborators with theapartheidgovernment.^[2]Necklacing was primarily used on black police informants; the practice was often carried out in the name of the struggle, although the executive body of theAfrican National Congress(ANC), the most broadly supported South African opposition movement, condemned it.^[3]^[4]In 1986,Winnie Mandela,then-wife of the imprisonedNelson Mandela,and who herself had endured torture and four imprisonments to a total of two years,^[5]stated, "With our boxes of matches, and our necklaces, we shall liberate this country", which was widely seen as an explicit endorsement of necklacing.^[6]^[7]This caused the ANC to initially distance itself from her,^[8]although she later took on a number of official positions within the party.^[8]

The first victim of necklacing, according to the South AfricanTruth and Reconciliation Commission,was a young black woman,Maki SkosanaofDuduza,on 20 July 1985:^[9]

Moloko said her sister was burned to death with a tire around her neck while attending the funeral of one of the youths. Her body had been scorched by fire and some broken pieces of glass had been inserted into her vagina, Moloko told the committee. Moloko added that a big rock had been thrown on her face after she had been killed.^[10]

PhotojournalistKevin Carterwas the first to photograph a public execution by necklacing in South Africa in the mid-1980s. He later spoke of the images:

I was appalled at what they were doing. I was appalled at what I was doing. But then people started talking about those pictures... then I felt that maybe my actions hadn't been at all bad. Being a witness to something this horrible wasn't necessarily such a bad thing to do.^[11]

Author Lynda Schuster writes:

'Necklacing' represented the worst of the excesses committed in the name of the uprising. This was a particularly gruesome form of mob justice, reserved for those thought to be government collaborators, informers and black policemen. The executioners would force a car tire over the head and around the arms of the suspect, drench it in petrol, and set it alight. Immobilized, the victim burned to death.^[12]

Some commentators have noted that the practice of necklacing served to escalate the levels of violence during the township wars of the 1980s and early 1990s as security force members became brutalized and afraid that they might fall victim to the practice.^[13]

Other countries

Haiti

This form oflynchingwas used in Haiti, where it was known asPé Lebrun,orPère Lebrun(French), after a tire advertisement showing a man with a tire around his neck. It was used prominently by mobs allied withJean-Bertrand Aristideto assassinate political enemies. Aristide himself allegedly showed strong support for this practice, calling it a "beautiful tool" that "smells good", encouraging hisLavalassupporters to use it against wealthy people as well as members of the Lavalas party who were not as strong in their fervor.^[14]^[15]

Sri Lanka and India

In the early years of the 1960s, when the seeds of the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka (Sri Lankan Civil War) related toEelamwere being sown,Sinhaleserioters used necklacing in anti-Tamil riots.^[16]^[17]Necklacing was also widely used in thesecond armed insurrectionled by theJanatha Vimukthi Peramuna.A graphic description of one such necklacing appears in the bookThe Island of Bloodby journalistAnita Pratap.^[18]

This technique was widely used againstSikhsduring the1984 anti-Sikh riots,which took place throughoutnorthern Indiaafter the erstwhile Indian prime ministerIndira Gandhi,having presided overOperation Blue Starearlier that year, wasassassinated by her Sikh bodyguards.^[19]

Ivory Coast and Nigeria

In the early 1990s, university students inAbidjan,Ivory Coast, were plagued by burglars stealing from their dormitories. The students took matters into their own hands by capturing the alleged thieves, and then executed them by placing tyres around their necks and setting the tyres on fire. Ivorian police, powerless to stop these necklacings, could do nothing but stand by and watch.^[20]

In 2006, at least one person died in Nigeria by necklacing in the deadlyMuslim protestsover satirical cartoon drawings ofMuhammad.^[21]

Brazil

A form of necklacing where victims are forced inside a stack of tyres doused with petrol and set on fire is widely used by drug dealers in Brazil, notably inRio de Janeiro,where it is calledmicro-ondas,ormicrowavein Portuguese.^[22]^[23]^[24]JournalistTim Lopeswas a notable victim.^[25]

References

^Oliver, Mark (19 May 2018)."Death By Tire Fire: A Brief History Of" Necklacing "In Apartheid South Africa".All That's Interesting.Retrieved2 April2021.
^Gobodo-Madikizela, Pumla(2006).A Human Being Died That Night: Forgiving Apartheid's Chief Killer.Portobello Books. p.147.ISBN 1-84627-053-7.
^"The Black Struggle for Political Power: Major Forces in the Conflict".The Killings in South Africa: The Role of the Security Forces and the Response of the State (Report).Human Rights Watch.January 1991.Retrieved18 February2008.
^Fihlani, Pumza (12 October 2011)."Is necklacing returning to South Africa?".BBC News.Retrieved11 December2013.
^Monica McCausland (6 May 2020)."An Analysis of the Imprisonment and Detainment Treatment of Winnie Madikizela-Mandela".South African History Online.Retrieved12 February2022.
^"Winnie Madikizela-Mandela".South African History Online. 17 February 2011.Retrieved14 May2018.
^Beresford, David(27 January 1989)."Row over 'mother of the nation' Winnie Mandela".The Guardian.Retrieved1 May2008.
^^a ^bMeintjes, Sheila (August 1998)."Winnie Madikizela Mandela: Tragic Figure? Populist Tribune? Township Tough?"(PDF).Southern Africa Report.Vol. 13, no. 4. pp. 14–20.ISSN 0820-5582.Retrieved7 December2013.
^"Evelina Puleng Moloko".Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Human Rights Violations Submissions – Questions and Answers.Duduza. 4 February 1997. JB0289/013ERKWA.Retrieved7 December2013.{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^"Truth Commission Looks at First" Necklace "Murder".South African Press Association.4 February 1997.Retrieved1 May2008.
^Porter, Tim (18 February 2003)."Covering War in a Free Society".timporter.com.Retrieved18 February2008.
^Schuster, Lynda (2006) [2004].A Burning Hunger: One Family's Struggle Against Apartheid.Ohio University Press. p. 304.ISBN 978-0-8214-1652-5.
^Turton, A.R. (2010).Shaking Hands with Billy.Durban: Just Done Publications.Retrieved2 April2021.^{[page needed]}
^"Aristide's" Pe Lebrun "speech".Haïti Observateur.27 September 1992.Retrieved10 January2011.
^Smith, C. Fraser (2 October 1994)."Enigmatic Father Aristide Exhibits A Haitian Character Lost in Translation".The Baltimore Sun.Retrieved25 March2021.
^Subramanian, Samanth(2015).This Divided Island.Atlantic Books.ISBN 978-0-85789-595-0.Archived fromthe originalon 19 March 2015.Retrieved5 August2015.^{[page needed]}
^Dalrymple, William(9 March 2015)."This Divided Island: Stories from the Sri Lankan War review – a moving portrayal of the agonies of the conflict".The Guardian.Retrieved5 August2015.
^Pratap, Anita (2001).Island of blood: frontline reports from Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, and other South Asian flashpoints.New Delhi; New York: Viking.ISBN 0670049034.
^"Tyres: The Unusual Weapon Used During the 1984 Riots".Harperbroadcast.com.16 July 2015.Retrieved30 December2021.
^Kaplan, Robert D.(1996).The Ends of the Earth: A Journey to the Frontiers of Anarchy.New York:Random House.p.14.ISBN 0-679-75123-8.
^Musa, Njadvara (19 February 2006)."Muslims' rage over cartoons hits Nigeria".The San Diego Union-Tribune.Associated Press.Archived fromthe originalon 28 February 2007.Retrieved18 September2009.
^Grellet, Fábio (24 May 2010)."Autorizado a visitar família, condenado por morte de Tim Lopes foge da prisão".Folha de S.Paulo(in Portuguese). Archived fromthe originalon 27 May 2010.Retrieved6 July2013.
^"Polícia encontra 4 corpos que seriam de traficantes queimados com pneus".O Globo(in Portuguese). 18 September 2008. Archived fromthe originalon 25 September 2013.Retrieved6 July2013– via Federação Nacional dos Policiais Federais.
^"Micro-ondas".WordReference.com.Retrieved6 July2013..
^"Repórter foi capturado, torturado e morto por traficantes"(in Portuguese).Agência Estado.9 June 2002.Retrieved3 October2020.

External links

An exploratory study of insider accounts of necklacing in three Port Elizabeth townshipsby Ntuthu Nomoyi and Willem Schurink, "Violence in South Africa: A Variety of Perspectives", editors Elirea Bornman, René van Eeden, Marie Wentzel,HSRC,Chapter 6, pp. 147–173,ISBN 0-7969-1858-9.

[urlDeath_By_Tire_Fire:_A_History_of_Necklacing_in_Apartheid_South_Africa-1] Oliver, Mark (19 May 2018)."Death By Tire Fire: A Brief History Of" Necklacing "In Apartheid South Africa".All That's Interesting.Retrieved2 April2021.

[2] Gobodo-Madikizela, Pumla(2006).A Human Being Died That Night: Forgiving Apartheid's Chief Killer.Portobello Books. p.147.ISBN 1-84627-053-7.

[3] "The Black Struggle for Political Power: Major Forces in the Conflict".The Killings in South Africa: The Role of the Security Forces and the Response of the State (Report).Human Rights Watch.January 1991.Retrieved18 February2008.

[4] Fihlani, Pumza (12 October 2011)."Is necklacing returning to South Africa?".BBC News.Retrieved11 December2013.

[5] Monica McCausland (6 May 2020)."An Analysis of the Imprisonment and Detainment Treatment of Winnie Madikizela-Mandela".South African History Online.Retrieved12 February2022.

[6] "Winnie Madikizela-Mandela".South African History Online. 17 February 2011.Retrieved14 May2018.

[7] Beresford, David(27 January 1989)."Row over 'mother of the nation' Winnie Mandela".The Guardian.Retrieved1 May2008.

[africafiles-8] Meintjes, Sheila (August 1998)."Winnie Madikizela Mandela: Tragic Figure? Populist Tribune? Township Tough?"(PDF).Southern Africa Report.Vol. 13, no. 4. pp. 14–20.ISSN 0820-5582.Retrieved7 December2013.

[9] "Evelina Puleng Moloko".Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Human Rights Violations Submissions – Questions and Answers.Duduza. 4 February 1997. JB0289/013ERKWA.Retrieved7 December2013.{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)

[10] "Truth Commission Looks at First" Necklace "Murder".South African Press Association.4 February 1997.Retrieved1 May2008.

[11] Porter, Tim (18 February 2003)."Covering War in a Free Society".timporter.com.Retrieved18 February2008.

[12] Schuster, Lynda (2006) [2004].A Burning Hunger: One Family's Struggle Against Apartheid.Ohio University Press. p. 304.ISBN 978-0-8214-1652-5.

[13] Turton, A.R. (2010).Shaking Hands with Billy.Durban: Just Done Publications.Retrieved2 April2021.^{[page needed]}

[Haïti_Observateur-14] "Aristide's" Pe Lebrun "speech".Haïti Observateur.27 September 1992.Retrieved10 January2011.

[The_Baltimore_Sun_1994-10-02-15] Smith, C. Fraser (2 October 1994)."Enigmatic Father Aristide Exhibits A Haitian Character Lost in Translation".The Baltimore Sun.Retrieved25 March2021.

[16] Subramanian, Samanth(2015).This Divided Island.Atlantic Books.ISBN 978-0-85789-595-0.Archived fromthe originalon 19 March 2015.Retrieved5 August2015.^{[page needed]}

[17] Dalrymple, William(9 March 2015)."This Divided Island: Stories from the Sri Lankan War review – a moving portrayal of the agonies of the conflict".The Guardian.Retrieved5 August2015.

[pratap-18] Pratap, Anita (2001).Island of blood: frontline reports from Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, and other South Asian flashpoints.New Delhi; New York: Viking.ISBN 0670049034.

[19] "Tyres: The Unusual Weapon Used During the 1984 Riots".Harperbroadcast.com.16 July 2015.Retrieved30 December2021.

[20] Kaplan, Robert D.(1996).The Ends of the Earth: A Journey to the Frontiers of Anarchy.New York:Random House.p.14.ISBN 0-679-75123-8.

[in-nigeria-21] Musa, Njadvara (19 February 2006)."Muslims' rage over cartoons hits Nigeria".The San Diego Union-Tribune.Associated Press.Archived fromthe originalon 28 February 2007.Retrieved18 September2009.

[22] Grellet, Fábio (24 May 2010)."Autorizado a visitar família, condenado por morte de Tim Lopes foge da prisão".Folha de S.Paulo(in Portuguese). Archived fromthe originalon 27 May 2010.Retrieved6 July2013.

[23] "Polícia encontra 4 corpos que seriam de traficantes queimados com pneus".O Globo(in Portuguese). 18 September 2008. Archived fromthe originalon 25 September 2013.Retrieved6 July2013– via Federação Nacional dos Policiais Federais.

[24] "Micro-ondas".WordReference.com.Retrieved6 July2013..

[tlopes-25] "Repórter foi capturado, torturado e morto por traficantes"(in Portuguese).Agência Estado.9 June 2002.Retrieved3 October2020.

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