经济学人:"女巫审判":当喧嚣归于沉寂(2)

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　　says that the nephew of a local politician blamed his own mother for his uncle's death. 其管理者Eriko Fufurefa说当地一位政治家的外甥指控自己的母亲害死了这位舅舅。

　　“They chopped her with a machete and beat her with iron bars,” says Ms Fufurefa, putting her in hospital for a month. “他们用砍刀砍伤她，还用铁条抽打她，” Fufurefa女士说，把她送到医院接受了一个月的治疗。

　　This too has grown more common: Ms Kakebeeke says accused sorcerers used to be dispatched quietly, at night. 这种情况变得越来越普遍：Kakebeeke女士说被指控的男巫过去经常在晚上被秘密处决。

　　Now they are subjected to “public torture spectacles—it has become a mass movement”. 现在他们遭受“公共酷刑的场面——这已经变成一项大规模活动”。

　　Belief in sorcery is widespread in PNG. 很多巴布亚新几内亚的人都相信巫术。

　　Only in 2013 did the government repeal² a law that criminalised sorcery and allowed accusations³ of witchcraft⁴ as a defence in murder cases. 政府才废除了判处巫术的相关法律，并允许在谋杀案件中被控告的“巫术”者为自己辩护。

　　Locals do not believe that sorcerers or witches are inherently malign⁵: many claim—or believe in—magical healing powers, and the ability to bring favourable⁶ weather. 当地人不相信，巫师们本来就身是邪恶的：许多人声称——或者相信——巫师拥有有魔法的治疗力量，以及带来好天气的能力。

　　Monica Paulus is a human-rights activist⁷ whose brother once accused her of using sorcery to kill their father (she thinks he wanted the family house). Monica Paulus是一位人权活动家，她的兄弟曾经指控她使用巫术杀死父亲（她认为其兄弟他只是想要家里的房子）。

　　She tells people they have a right to believe what they want, but “they do not have the right to cause violence or take a life.” 她声称：告诉人们，他们有权利相信自己想要的东西，但是他们“没有权利使用引发暴力或者残害性命”。

　　She also reminds people that, as Christians⁸, they believe that the body dies, but the spirit lives. 她还提醒人们，作为基督徒，他们都相信肉身虽死，魂灵不灭。

　　The spirit, she says with a glint in her eye, “will find another body to live in, and it could be you: if you kill a witch, that means you could become a witch yourself.” 她眼睛闪着光说：“灵魂会找另一具肉体附身，那个肉体有很可能就是你：如果你杀害过女巫，这意味着你自己也会变成女巫。”

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