Witch-Killings and the Law in Uganda

Bibliographic Data

ID20384671
AuthorsSolomon Rukundo (0000-0002-6257-7070, corresponding author), Rukundo Solomon
Year2020
Volume35
Issue2
Pages270-296
Publication date2020-08-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Law and Religion (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0748-0814 • E-ISSN: 2163-3088
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/jlr.2020.25
OpenAlexW3043248896
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited16

People believed to be witches have been killed in many parts of Africa since precolonial times. Belief in witchcraft persists today among many people, occasionally resulting in the killing of the suspected witch. The killer views witchcraft as an attack similar in nature to the use of physical force and therefore kills the witch in an attempt to end the perceived attack. As it stands today, the law in Uganda fails to strike a balance between the rights of the deceased victim violated through murder and those of the accused who honestly believes that he or she or a loved one was a victim of witchcraft. This article argues that the defenses that are currently available—mistake of fact, self-defense, insanity, and provocation by witchcraft—are insufficient, as they fail to strike that delicate balance. A more pragmatic approach to the issue of witch-killing, one that deals with the elimination of belief in witchcraft, is necessary

Criminology · Insanity · Mistake · Political science · Sociology · Witch · Historical Legal Studies and Society · History · Law · Law in Society and Culture · Marriage and Sexual Relationships · Psychology

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