Connecticut acquitted 12 'witches' who were executed 370 years ago: the case was called a miscarriage of justice

Connecticut acquitted 12 people convicted of witchcraft in colonial America almost 400 years ago after a campaign to clear their names. He writes about it "Фокус".

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Eleven accused witches were hanged after trials in northeastern Connecticut in the mid-1600s, and one was reprieved.

Legislators in the New England region (Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island) passed a resolution on May 25 declaring the innocence of those convicted and classifying the deaths of nine women and two men as a “miscarriage of justice.”

It comes after a campaign by the group Exonerating Witches, which includes descendants of some of those killed. Their statement said they were "thrilled, pleased and grateful" to senators who voted 33 to 1 in favor of the resolution.

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Members of the group noted that the decision was made on the eve of the 376th anniversary of the first witch in New England, Alice Young, was hanged.

“We are grateful to the descendants, advocates, historians, legislators of both parties and many others who made this formal resolution possible,” the statement said.

Victims of judicial errors

Hundreds of people, mostly women, were accused of witchcraft in New England in the 17th century. The most famous site of numerous executions is Salem, Massachusetts. The region was gripped by fear, paranoia and prejudice.

Dozens of people were eventually executed. The witch trials in Connecticut took place from 1647 to 1663. About 34 people have been accused of witchcraft in Connecticut, according to the CT Witch Trial Exoneration Project.

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The publication notes that in recent years, states and countries have taken steps to clear the names of accused witches. Last year, the state of Massachusetts formally pardoned Elizabeth Johnson, the only person convicted in the Salem trial who has yet to be acquitted. She received a reprieve and died at the age of about 70 in the 1740s.

The Salem witch hunt is one of the most famous witch hunts in history: a trial that took place in the New England city of Salem from February 1692 to May 1693. On charges of witchcraft, 14 women and 5 men were hanged, one man was crushed with stones, and between 175 and 200 people were imprisoned (at least five of them died).

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Also last year, the Scottish government issued a formal apology to the thousands of women who were executed centuries ago. Around 4 people were accused of witchcraft in Scotland between the 000th and 16th centuries, and over 18 were executed.

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