Seychelles Opposition Politician Charged In Witchcraft Case

A court in Seychelles has charged the leader of the main opposition party and seven other individuals on allegations of witchcraft.

Patrick Herminie plans to run in the 2025 presidential election under the banner of the United Seychelles Party (USP), the country’s main opposition party.

He told local media that his arrest and prosecution were a political effort to taint his image and that of his party.

Police say the case is related to the discovery of two bodies that had been exhumed from a cemetery on the island of Mahe.

The court released Mr. Herminie and the other Seychellois defendants on bail of $2,100, but the Tanzanian suspect will stay in custody until the hearing in November.

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Prosecutors said Herminie’s name was found in a WhatsApp message exchange with a Tanzanian man who was detained in September allegedly in possession of items linked to witchcraft including black wooden artefacts, small bottles of brownish liquid and documents containing language and symbols described as satanic.

The case is linked to an investigation into the discovery in August of the dug-up bodies of an elderly woman and a young man in a cemetery on the main island of Mahe.

Prosecutors have also said symbols on the documents found in the Tanzanian’s possession were similar to those found in places that were vandalised in Seychelles, including Catholic churches.

The court released Herminie and the other Seychellois defendants on bail of 30,000 Seychelles rupees (about $2,200) while the Tanzanian was ordered to remain in police custody.

A new hearing in the case is scheduled for November 3.