| Women accused of sorcery in Papua New Guinea are being burned at the stake, stoned, raped, axed, buried alive, electrocuted, forced to drink petrol and dragged behind vehicles, according to a government minister. Minister for Welfare Lady Carol Kidu said this yesterday in an appeal to foreign aid donors to fund research into sorcery in PNG, where many citizens cling to ancient beliefs in black magic and "payback" attacks. After receiving evidence from doctors working with victims, Lady Kidu said she was horrified by the brutal methods of torture and murder employed against the accused — most of whom were older women. She said the sorcery interrogations were usually carried out by young men. The methods of torture included beating (often with barbed wire), breaking bones, burning with red hot metal, raping, hanging over fire, cutting body parts slowly, amputating and pulling behind vehicles, she said in a statement. "Mostly, however, if the victim is not dead she is then killed by one of the following methods: Execution, being thrown over a cliff, into a river or cave, burned alive in a housefire, buried alive, beheaded, hanged, choked to death, starved, axed or electrocuted, suffocated with smoke, forced to drink petrol or hot liquid, stoned or shot". Lady Kidu said bystanders were afraid to intervene as they themselves might be accused of sorcery. |