‘Witchcraft’ is still the case, at least in Central Asia
This week marks the anniversary of the Salem witch trials. On June 2, 1692, Bridget Bishop, a midwife, was found guilty of «witchcraft and sorcery» and was sentenced to death by hanging. Salem was not the first witch hunt in history (the practice dates back to the 14th century). It wasn’t even the first in New England, where a woman was executed for witchcraft 45 years earlier. Nor was it the last; persecutions continued in parts of Europe well into the 18th century. Yet Salem has endured in the popular imagination as a symbol of the era’s misogyny, religious zealotry and fear-driven injustice.
Tajikistan’s witch hunt
Witchcraft accusations may seem like relics of the distant past, but recent events suggest otherwise. In Tajikistan, for example, four women were detained in late May on charges of fortune-telling and sorcery. They face penalties under the country’s Code of Administrative Offenses for witchcraft and fortune-telling.
Tajikistan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs urged citizens not to consult fortune tellers and encouraged the public to report such activity. Authorities also warned that clients of fortune tellers will be summoned for questioning and added to a law enforcement database. The country officially banned fortune-telling in 2008. In 2024, penalties were increased. According to the Azattyk.org news portal, a first offense can result in a fine or up to 15 days in jail. Repeat offenses may carry fines of up to $13,500 or imprisonment for up to two years.
Kazakhstan’s esoteric services market
Meanwhile, in Kazakhstan, fortune-tellers, astrologers and psychics continue to be in high demand, with the market for their services steadily expanding each year. Clients range from ordinary citizens to prominent entrepreneurs and politicians.
Although Kazakhstani legislation requires mediums, tarot readers, astrologers and other «mystical» practitioners to register as sole proprietors if they earn more than $2,100 annually from their services, most fail to do so. However, official statistics provide some insight into the market’s growth. There was a noticeable spike at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, with psychic services increasing 86 times year-on-year in 2020. Additionally, demand for astrologers, spiritualists and fortune tellers saw a significant uptick in 2022, coinciding with the outbreak of the war in Ukraine and rising geopolitical tensions in the region.
Earlier reporting by Kursiv.media highlighted a case in Kostanay where a woman was awarded about $200 after a tarot fortune teller’s prophecy failed to come true. The court ruled in favor of the plaintiff, finding that an implicit agreement between the client and the tarot reader had been breached.
