Peru – Woman Accused of Witchcraft Beaten to Death
Author: Womens UN Report Network
Date: February 10, 2014
WUNRN
Peru – Woman
Accused of Witchcraft Beaten to Death
Citizen patrol
memebers accused 68-year-old of practicing black magic.
By
Rachel Chase – January 23, 2014
A 68-year-old woman was beaten to death by a group of citizen patrol members
(called “ronderos”) in the La Libertad region of Peru. The group reportedly
killed her because they suspected that the woman was using black magic
to kill her own son.
La Republica reports that the woman, Elesmira Zárate, was held by the
ronderos for two days and forced to undergo punishment, including physical
abuse and being forced to walk for substantial distances.
Her kneeling body was found in the town of Pichimpampa, apparently after the
victim’s family asked for assistance from the district attorney’s office in
retrieving her remains for burial. The body was taken to a nearby morgue for
examination.
According to RPP Noticias, investigators found
injuries on the woman’s abdomen, as well as marks on her neck indicating that
she had been choked. Bruises found on her legs, RPP
reports, may indicate that she was tortured before dying.
Local legal authorities have ordered the arrest of three ronderos who are
suspected to have been involved in Zárate’s death. RPP
reports that the ronderos maintain that the woman died from a pre-existing
illness and not because of any physical punishments inflicted by the group.
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