Troops claim “supernatural powers” after pygmy sodomy: Government troops sodomised pygmies in March in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, believing they would gain supernatural powers, a regional rights group said.
Witch hunts, murder and evil in Papua New Guinea: A tide of torture and killing of innocent women linked to ‘sorcery’ and the ‘dark arts’ is overwhelming the nation’s police.
Genitals removed while men are alive: Young men are attacked and their genitals cut off while they are still alive; children’s throats are slit and their organs removed; and border-crossers are caught with bags containing human heads and sexual organs.
Woman burned alive in Papua New Guinea: Police in rural Papua New Guinea said Friday they were investigating the killing of a woman who was tied to a wooden pole, surrounded by rubber tires and set on fire.
Four North Carolina Teens Charged in Bizarre Killing: A group of teenagers in North Carolina suspected of murdering a friend allegedly read him his fortune from tarot cards shortly before beating him in the head with a hammer, tying him up and suffocating him with duct tape.
Nigeria ‘child witch killer’ held: Police in south-east Nigeria have arrested a man who claimed to have killed 110 child “witches”. “Bishop” Sunday Ulup-Aya told a documentary film team he “delivered” children from demonic possession.
Albino girl killed for body parts: Albinos in the region have been targeted because of a belief peddled by witchdoctors that their body parts can be used for magic potions.
Babies bred for sale in Nigeria: Witchcraft rituals also fuel baby trafficking.
Student accuses teacher of being a witch; tries to set her on fire: A 20-year-old man is facing an assault charge after allegedly accusing his English literature teacher of being a witch and then pouring liquid on her. The man also threatened the teacher with a cigarette lighter and cigarette.
Eleven dead in Congo football riot after use of ‘witchcraft’: A football player’s alleged use of black magic has sparked a deadly riot at a stadium in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Hunchbacks killed for ritual purposes: The Bibiani police are appealing to the public to assist them to unravel an emerging gruesome phenomenon there of hunchbacks being allegedly killed and their humps removed for suspected ritual purposes. Even those who die naturally, according to the police, have their bodies exhumed and the humps removed.
Deadly hunt for ‘witches’ haunts Kenya villagers: A few days before the incident, a group of schoolchildren reportedly found a book in their school that listed all the people in the community who would soon die and the witches who would be responsible.
Indian villagers ‘killed witch’: The 40-year-old woman, Phool Kunwar, was dragged from her home on Monday night, beaten and burned with a hot iron, police say.
Child’s death may put faith law to test: The case of a 15-month-old Oregon City girl who died for lack of medical treatment could become the first test of a state law that disallows faith healing at the expense of a child’s life.
Priest loses lawsuit challenging animal sacrifice ban: A federal judge on Monday ruled against a Santeria priest who challenged an animal slaughter ban on the grounds it interfered with his right to perform religious sacrifices at his Euless home.
[Articles continue at links. See also What's the Harm? where the tally as of 10 May 2009 is 368,379 people killed, 306,096 injured and over $2,815,931,000 in economic damages from a lack of critical thinking. - Trevor Blake]
