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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
National
Libby Brooks Scotland correspondent

Calls for Scotland to pardon witch-hunt victims gather pace

Founder of Witches of Scotland Claire Mitchell (left) and member Zoe Venditozzi
Founder of Witches of Scotland Claire Mitchell (left) and member Zoe Venditozzi. Photograph: Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images

Calls for a legal pardon for the thousands of people persecuted as witches in post-Reformation Scotland are growing, as the drive for posthumous justice gains international notice.

Last week, Scotland’s first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, issued a formal apology on International Women’s Day to the 4,000 people – mainly women – who were tortured and often executed under the Witchcraft Act 1563.

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