Cases of lynching and mob justice are multiplying. Based on mere rumors, they can also target the innocent. Like a woman holding her child in the street, parents are now redoubling their vigilance. To the psychosis linked to kidnappings is now added another nightmare: lynching. Cases of popular vindication are experiencing a worrying resurgence. On Sunday, a couple experienced this painful reality, according to testimony from a close relative. "They were accused of being child killers and abductors. They nearly lost their lives," recounts Lilou Rav, sister of one of the victims. She categorically rejects the accusations against her brother and sister-in-law. "They had simply gone out to eat. This assault stemmed from a slanderous denunciation made in the street. In the crowd, someone claimed my brother had hit him with a helmet, when he wasn't even riding a motorcycle," she continues. This case is far from isolated. On July 30, a woman in her thirties also narrowly escaped lynching in Ankazomanga. "She was suspected of trying to abduct a child, when she actually suffers from mental disorders. She accidentally entered a house where a child was alone," reports a police source. The crowd had already gathered to attack her. "We arrived in time to save her from this mob justice," indicates a source from the 7th district police station. In Faratsiho, a lynching cost the life of a 30-year-old man, accused of abducting a child. Several factors "Malagasy society is broken. Trust has disappeared and suspicion reigns. At the slightest behavior deemed strange or the slightest suspicious attitude, the axe falls. A simple slanderous denunciation can overturn an innocent person's life," laments an observer. Several factors would favor popular vindication. "First, there is this lack of confidence in the judicial system. Faced with investigations that drag on, like the Remenabila case, the fire at the Rova of Manjakamiadana, the assassination of Ratsimandrava, or the Ambohimalaza affair, whose truth has still not emerged, people end up seeking answers elsewhere. It is this impunity and silence that push the population to want to take justice into their own hands," analyzes our source. The National Police would be multiplying awareness-raising actions to prevent acts of popular justice. Their eradication will nevertheless require time. "The degradation of society and our institutions results from a long process, and I remain convinced that their restoration will require just as much time. This must involve a reform of structures, an overhaul of education, and an effort to encourage citizens toward discernment, reflection, and informed choices. In the short term, the urgency is to ensure impeccable functioning of the entire judicial system," recommends the observer. Miangaly Ralitera