Four women killed in Papua New Guinea witchhunt

January 26, 2007



Villagers near the town of Goroka in the jungle-covered highlands about 400 kilometres north of the capital Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea killed four women they believed to be witches. They tortured the women by stabbing them with hot rods so they would confess to causing a road crash using sorcery. The accident had resulted in the death of three prison guards. The villagers hid the bodies in an old pit.

With the help of some village elders, police have now discovered these murders which occurred in October of last year. BBC News reports human rights campaigners saying that it is not uncommon in Papua New Guinea for women suspected of engaging in black magic to be killed, often by hanging or burning.