Case file · Witch trials
Witchcraft on trial in the Central African Republic
The Central African Republic is one of the few countries whose penal code makes 'charlatanism and sorcery' a crime; the 2009 code set prison terms of five to ten years, and women accused of witchcraft fill the cells of Bangui's prisons.
2009 CE · 4.39, 18.56 · status: official
The account
Earlier codes even allowed the death penalty. Prison officials and rights groups estimated in the 2000s and 2010s that half or more of women detainees in Bangui were held on sorcery charges, often after neighbours blamed them for a death. Avocats Sans Frontières has defended many of them.
The sceptical view
The offence has no clear legal definition and the 'proof' is usually testimony and confession under pressure.