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Thousands of people, mostly women, were barbarically convicted during the witch hunt that continued into the 18th century.
The regional parliament of Catalonia in Spain passed today the resolution where it pardons about 1000 people, mainly women, who were sentenced to death for the crime of “magic”, 400 years ago.
The development comes after similar measures in Scotland, Switzerland and Norway, as more than 100 historians signed the manifesto entitled: “They were not witches, they were just women.”
The resolution follows a campaign by the local historical magazine Sapiens, and with the support of left-wing nationalist parties in parliament.
Commenting on TV3, Catalan President Pere Aragonès described witch-hunting as an “institutionalized feminist”.
It is estimated that between 1580 and 1630, some 50,000 people were sentenced to death for witchcraft and heresy throughout Europe, of whom at least 80% were women.
In addition to witch-hunts in Europe, the Inquisition in Spain waged a barbaric “anti-heresy” campaign against Muslims, Jews and other minorities as it tried to convert them to Christianity.
Catalonia was somewhat different from Spain at the time as witch-hunting continued there until the 18th century.
What is believed to be the first law in Europe to punish practitioners of magic was passed to Lleida in 1424.
History professor Pau Castell, at the University of Barcelona, says the phenomenon was widespread in Catalonia as rural areas were under the absolute power of feudal lords and that the proof of guilt was only admission.
“Witches were often blamed for the sudden death of children, natural disasters or poor harvests,” says Castell.
Unlike the rest of Europe, witches and heretics in Catalonia hung on ropes and were not burned at the stake. Castell says this was done as it was less costly and no valuable firewood was spent.
Some Catalan villages reconciled those known as “witch detectors”. One of them was Joan Cazabrujas (John the witch hunter) in the village of Sallent, whose accusations led to the hanging of 33 women. When the Inquisition later discovered that most of the women were innocent, Cazabrujas himself was burned at the stake.
The Spanish story of the case revolves around an infamous trial in the village of Zugarramurdi in Navarra, where it was rumored that men, women and even priests practiced magic in a large cave.
Before the start of the trial in Logroño in 1609, about 7,000 people had been investigated for the crime of witchcraft, even though today the country has only 225 inhabitants.
About 2,000 suspects pleaded guilty, and three-quarters of them were minors, but later denied their admission. Eventually 11 were convicted, of whom five had died in prison and the other six, four women and two men, were burned at the stake. / Guardian /
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