Sudan’s Apostasy and ‘Witchcraft’ Cases Involving Fortune-Tellers

Record summary

Sudanese courts and police periodically prosecuted people described in English-language reporting as witches, sorcerers, or fortune-tellers, sometimes under public-order, fraud, or morality provisions. The cases are relevant for comparing Islamic legal categories, colonial and postcolonial criminal law, and popular healing economies. A researcher should identify individual defendants and judgments through Sudanese reporting and human-rights documentation because broad summaries obscure charges and outcomes. These records concern state classification and alleged deception, not proof of magical power or demonic practice.