A man was lynched by an irate mob in a bar in eastern Uganda after refusing to stop smoking despite repeated requests from fellow drunken patrons, an official said on Friday.
The incident was the first deadly attack targeting a smoker since a 2004 ban on smoking in public places was imposed in the East African nation.
”The man was killed by a mob,” Tororo district Commissioner Samuel Mpimbaza-Hashaka said.
”Even if someone commits an offence, there is no way mob justice is allowed to take course and lead to loss of life,” he continued.
The lynch party, which was drinking a local potent brew known as enguli in Nagongera village, pounced on the deceased man on Thursday night after he refused to throw away a cigarette on which he was puffing inside the bar.
The official penalty for smoking in public is a fine of up to $50. — Sapa-dpa