US state exonerates 12 ‘witches’

What is now the US state of Massachusetts was another location where witch trials were common in the 17th century. In the town of Salem, a memorial has been created to the 20 victims of the witch trials of 1692. (Photo: Magicpiano via Wikimedia Commons)

NEW YORK: The US state of Connecticut has exonerated 12 people convicted of witchcraft in colonial America almost 400 years ago following a campaign to clear their names.

Eleven of the accused witches were hanged after trials in the northeastern state of Connecticut in the mid-1600s, with one receiving a reprieve.