Kampala - A man was lynched by an irate mob in a bar in Eastern Ugandan after refusing to stop smoking despite repeated requests from fellow drunken patrons, an official said 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 Resident District Commissioner,Samuel Mpimbaza-Hashaka told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.
"Even if someone commits an offense, 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 he was puffing on inside the bar.
The official penalty for smoking in public is a fine of up to 50 dollars.
