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Published: 05 June, 2009, 06:55

TAGS: Conflict, Crime, UN, Human rights


A UN speaker has voiced a sharp protest against the murder and abuse of witches around the world.

Professor Phillip Alston, Special Rapporteur of the United Nations from the Human Rights Council on Extra-judicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions, discussed how the belief in witchcraft, and the perceived 'evil nature' of those practicing, it is preserved in a number of countries around the world.

According to Alston, there are a number of reports of women being murdered simply due to a suspicion of their practicing witchcraft.

Several documents state that “witches” are being arbitrarily sentenced to death in the Central African Republic, Papua New Guinea, Tanzania and other countries. In Tanzania, the number of murdered “witches” is as high as one thousand per year.

“This could appear as a very esoteric problem, but over the course of my work I found that this is a common problem,” Alston pointed out.

He insisted that the issue is not receiving proper attention and that each of the “executions” should be investigated for what it is – murder.

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Damon June 05, 2009, 11:56
0

Alston is correct when he reports that the ongoing murder of suspected, accused and alleged 'Witches' is not receiving the attention it deserves. Take a look at how RT titles the story to see an example of how the pervasive institutionalization of prejudice against Witchcraft (or rather, against what people mistakenly believe to be Witchcraft) is entrenched by the media globally. The title could have reflected the suffering of innocents accused or the horror of human rights abuses, but RT chose instead to use the title of this important report to entrench the notion that Witches are indeed "wicked" and implying thereby that perhaps these wicked people deserved these abuses? Title: UN worried about murder of alleged Witches In almost every case the accused has denied being a Witch or practicing Witchcraft and the accused are rarely offered trial by law. There is no justice in murdering an accused without actual evidence of criminal activity.