Six men in Papua New Guinea who tortured three women they claimed had practised sorcery have been sentenced to eight years each in jail. Justice David Susame told a National Court hearing in New Ireland, that it is becoming a practice in some parts of the country to round up people, accuse them of sorcery, Read more
Posts Tagged ‘sorcery’
O’Neill wants churches to lead sorcery fight
Thursday, February 8th, 2018
The Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea, Peter O’Neill, has called on churches to take the lead in the fight against sorcery accusations and violence against women in villages. O’Neill said the old mentality and belief in sorcery was affecting the nation in rural and urban areas. He said the most affected were always women Read more
Churches challenged to do more to prevent sorcery
Thursday, November 30th, 2017
The general secretary of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands (CBC-PNGSI) has called on all churches to do more to create greater awareness of sorcery in their communities and congregations, and preach more about Bible teachings on sorcery. Father Victor Roche made this call, after reports from many parts of the Read more
Church reports more sorcery-related violence in PNG
Monday, September 25th, 2017
There have been at least 12 attacks on women in Enga this year in cases related to sorcery, according to American Lutheran church missionary Anton Lutz. “That’s just in Enga and not counting the border areas of Hewa and Paiela,” he said. “And the number of sorcery-related cases might in fact be higher.” Lutz said Read more
122 men face charges over sorcery murders
Monday, April 10th, 2017
99 men charged over the killings of seven people, whom they believed were practising sorcery, appeared in Court in Papua New Guinea on March 23. Earlier on 122 suspects had appeared in court charged with wilful murder – in relation to the same incident in April 2014.he suspects were detained at Gusap police station and Read more
Police looking for 9 pastors suspected of witch hunting
Tuesday, June 14th, 2016
Police in Enga, Papua New Guinea are looking for nine pastors to be questioned over their role in witch hunting. It is alleged the 9 pastors are implicated in the torture and killing of a woman accused of sorcery. In May Enga Provincial police commander acting Superintendent George Kakas urged the nine from Kombiam district Read more
Nuns in PNG incredibly and inspiringly courageous
Friday, November 6th, 2015
The Catholic Church has a unique role in combating belief in sorcery and mob reprisal attacks against sorcerers, Bishop Don Lippert of Mendi says. He has described the nuns who venture into the worst areas of the country as incredibly and inspiringly courageous. Lippert says they are putting their lives at risk in a desperate Read more
Torturing of witchcraft suspects posted on social media
Tuesday, October 27th, 2015
A gruesome video online shows the torture of four women accused of witchcraft and “invisibly” taking out a man’s heart and eating it in a village of Papua New Guinea. The footage, reportedly taken in a village of the Enga province, shows four women who have been stripped, tied up, burned and beaten. Several men Read more
Church fights witch hunts in PNG
Tuesday, June 23rd, 2015
Fr Philip Gibbs, a priest, anthropologist and researcher, said the Catholic Church has been conducting workshops in parishes to raise awareness about witch hunts and how it is totally contrary to the Christian response to misfortune and death. Gibbs, who has spent more than four decades in Papua New Guinea, has met surviving victims of Read more
Witchcraft: PNG woman axed to death
Tuesday, May 26th, 2015
A mob in Papua New Guinea has hacked to death a woman accused of being a witch. The woman – known as “Misila” – was one of four women saved by missionaries in January after a measles epidemic killed several people. The women were accused of being witches by a “witch-finder” who was paid by Read more