The World : Haiti Voodoo Priests Slain

At least 62 voodoo priests have been killed in Haiti in a violent campaign against the nation’s traditional religion since the fall of President Jean-Claude Duvalier in February, government spokeswoman Anaise Chavenet said. The Haitian Office of Ethnology has compiled a list of the 62 slain male and female priests, most of whom were reportedly accused of being witches or other practitioners of black magic. Francois (Papa Doc) Duvalier drew on voodoo practices in his efforts to control and intimidate the Haitian people during his rule from 1957 to 1971, and his son and successor, Jean-Claude, followed this pattern.