Case archive

Bound by Fear

37%

U.S. prevalence estimate

A 2023 survey of 1,581 U.S. adults estimated that religious trauma may affect as many as 37% when respondents reporting at least three of six major symptoms were included. Read the study

This tracker applies a narrower test: documented harm in which belief, ritual, an institution or spiritual authority materially enabled coercion.

Showing 261 of 261 visible records
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Index 01

The record by tradition

Broad families provide a survey-level comparison. The specific traditions beneath them retain the source record's narrower classification; no family total assigns collective culpability.

Index 02

Cases in chronological order

This index orders independently documented records by date. Adjacency here does not indicate a shared cause, lineage, organization or tradition.

  1. 1984Elkhart and Kosciusko Counties, IN, USA

    Faith Assembly mortality investigation: 40 confirmed deaths amid avoidance of medical care

  2. 1986Whitley County, IN, USA

    Gary and Margaret Hall: reckless-homicide convictions after prayer replaced medical care

  3. 1990Kirtland, OH, USA

    Jeffrey Lundgren: five aggravated-murder and kidnapping convictions

  4. 1991Friedrichshof, Burgenland, Austria

    Otto Muehl: seven-year sentence for sexual abuse and abuse of authority within Friedrichshof

  5. 1992Albany, Auckland, New Zealand

    Bert Potter: 13 convictions for abuse framed as therapy and spiritual advancement at Centrepoint

  6. 1992Miami, FL, USA

    Yahweh ben Yahweh: 18-year sentence for a RICO conspiracy involving murder and arson

  7. 1992South Shore and Goodwin, SD, USA

    Edward J. Werner: seven affirmed convictions after using pastoral access to abuse parish girls

  8. 1993Burnt River, Ontario, Canada

    Roch Thériault / Ant Hill Kids: life sentence after spiritual rule, ritualized violence and murder

  9. 1994Lenox, MA, USA

    Kripalu removes founder Amrit Desai after concealed relationships with disciples

  10. 1995London, UK

    Ward judgment: High Court findings on Children of God child sexual abuse

  11. 1995Tokyo, Japan

    Aum Shinrikyo: mass-murder convictions for sarin attacks directed by its guru

  12. 1996Moundsville, WV, USA

    Kirtanananda (New Vrindaban): racketeering plea; Drescher convicted of murders of dissidents

  13. 1997Tiruchirappalli, India

    Swami Premananda: convicted of 13 rapes + murder; double life; died in custody

  14. 1997Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh, India

    Dharamsala triple murder: two Dorje Shugden-associated suspects charged but never tried

  15. 1998Volta Region, Ghana

    Trokosi ritual servitude of girls (~1,400)

  16. 1998San Mateo, CA, USA

    Donald Walters / Swami Kriyananda and Ananda: civil verdict on abuse of spiritual authority

  17. 2000Kanungu District, Uganda

    Kanungu: official state report attributes the sect's mass killing to its elders

  18. 2001London, UK

    'Adam' — child ritual murder, torso in the Thames

  19. 2001London, UK

    Victoria Climbié: murder convictions; possession belief; Laming Inquiry followed

  20. 2002Lyon, France

    Four Raelian Movement members: final convictions for offenses at movement meetings

  21. 2002Manchester, NH, USA

    Diocese of Manchester: child-endangerment evidence resolved through a monitored nonprosecution agreement

  22. 2003London, UK

    Hackney 'witch-child' torture case

  23. 2003Boston, MA, USA

    Massachusetts attorney general finds institutional failure enabled abuse in Boston Archdiocese

  24. 2004Kenner, LA, USA

    Louisiana curse-removal fraud convictions

  25. 2004Knutby, Uppsala, Sweden

    Helge Fossmo: murder-incitement convictions after religious messages were used to compel violence

  26. 2004Eatonton, GA, USA

    Dwight York: 135-year sentence after eleven federal convictions

  27. 2004Guernsey, WY, USA

    Anthony Jablonowski: prison sentence for abuse following priestly counseling

  28. 2005Fresno, CA, USA

    Marcus Wesson: nine murder and fourteen sexual-abuse convictions

  29. 2006Tel Aviv, Israel

    ALEPH substantiates Marc Gafni's ethical breaches and bans him from Jewish Renewal settings

  30. 2007Newark, NJ, USA

    State v. Miraballes — Palo Mayombe grave-robbing

  31. 2007McCarthy, Alaska, USA

    Robert Hale / Papa Pilgrim: fourteen-year sentence after Bible-based isolation and coercion

  32. 2007Tacoma, WA, USA

    Dong Wan Park: church offices and false ordinations used in a religious-worker visa scheme

  33. 2008Moscow, Russia

    Grigory Grabovoi: eleven fraud convictions for paid supernatural claims

  34. 2008Blida, Algeria

    'Raqi Hamdan': three-year sentence after fatal violence during claimed ruqya

  35. 2009Paris, France

    Church of Scientology convicted of organized fraud (upheld 2013)

  36. 2009Sedona, AZ, USA

    James Arthur Ray: three negligent-homicide convictions after “Spiritual Warrior” sweat lodge

  37. 2009Victoria, Australia

    Stawingua Dresen: eight convictions for assaults during claimed chakra healing

  38. 2009Texarkana and Fouke, AR, USA

    Tony Alamo: 175-year sentence after ten convictions for transporting minors for sex

  39. 2009Kaneohe, HI, USA

    Manuel Taboada: eight sexual-assault convictions after scripture was used to justify abuse

  40. 2009Monrovia, Liberia

    Liberia TRC: Joshua Milton Blahyi found responsible after testimony about wartime human sacrifice

  41. 2009Dublin, Ireland

    Ryan Commission: abuse 'endemic' in Catholic-run institutions (state inquiry)

  42. 2009Crna Reka, Serbia

    Crna Reka spiritual-rehabilitation center: employee rape and violence convictions

  43. 2010Grand'Anse, Haiti

    2010 cholera lynchings: 45+ killed, mostly Vodou priests

  44. 2010Oregon City, OR, USA

    Beagley faith-healing death: parents convicted (criminally negligent homicide)

  45. 2011Kidwelly, Wales

    Colin Batley occult sex cult: indeterminate sentence, min 11 years

  46. 2011Driftwood, TX, USA

    Prakashanand Saraswati: 20 counts child molestation; fled, fugitive

  47. 2011YFZ Ranch near Eldorado, TX, USA

    Warren Jeffs: life and 20-year sentences for two child-sexual-assault convictions

  48. 2011Nassau, Bahamas

    Earl Randolph Fraser: conviction for abuse of a child entrusted for counselling

  49. 2011Manitoba Colony, Santa Cruz Department, Bolivia

    Manitoba Colony: convictions after systematic drug-facilitated rapes in an isolated Mennonite community

  50. 2011Reykjavík, Iceland

    Church of Iceland inquiry criticizes institutional response to allegations against former bishop Ólafur Skúlason

  51. 2011Sakaka, Al Jawf, Saudi Arabia

    Saudi Arabia executes Amina Nasser after an undefined witchcraft and sorcery conviction

  52. 2011Medina, Saudi Arabia

    Saudi Arabia executes Abdul Hamid al-Fakki after an undefined sorcery conviction

  53. 2011Utrecht, Netherlands

    Deetman Commission documents authority-linked abuse and institutional failures in the Dutch Catholic Church

  54. 2012Canterbury, UK

    Osolase — juju sex-trafficking conviction (20 yrs)

  55. 2012Brooklyn, NY, USA

    Nechemya Weberman: 103 years, 59 counts of sexual abuse (Satmar counselor)

  56. 2012Birmingham, UK

    Naila Mumtaz: four family members convicted of murder in jinn-'exorcism' smothering

  57. 2012Kingston, ON, Canada

    Shafia murders: three convicted of killing four family members ('twisted notion of honour' — the judge)

  58. 2012London, UK

    Kristy Bamu: kindoki 'deliverance' murder convictions (30/25-yr minimums)

  59. 2012Colliguay, Quilpué, Chile

    Antares de la Luz: convictions after an apocalyptic group’s ritual killing of an infant

  60. 2012Pella, IA, USA

    Patrick Edouard: five convictions for sexual exploitation through pastoral counseling

  61. 2013New York, NY, USA

    NYC psychic curse-removal fraud (5-15 yrs)

  62. 2013Novosibirsk, Russia

    Konstantin Rudnev: 11-year sentence for crimes committed through the Ashram Shambala group

  63. 2013Sensembra, Morazán, El Salvador

    Israel Antonio Alvarez Bonilla: twenty-seven-year sentence for rape and harassment through pastoral authority

  64. 2013Dushanbe, Tajikistan

    Asadullo Ibrohimov: seven-year sentence for sexual misconduct during purported infertility treatment

  65. 2013Kochi, Kerala, India

    Santhosh Madhavan / Swami Amritha Chaithanya: Kerala High Court affirms one rape conviction

  66. 2013Marathon County, WI, USA

    Dale and Leilani Neumann: reckless-homicide convictions after prayer replaced medical care

  67. 2013Stockport, England, UK

    Michael Ireland: 16-year sentence for assaults disguised as Reiki and spiritual healing

  68. 2013Colonia Dignidad near Parral, Chile

    Colonia Dignidad: final convictions and official findings on systematic child abuse

  69. 2013San Lucas Sacatepéquez, Guatemala

    San Lucas Catholic school: director convicted of concealing a volunteer's abuse

  70. 2014Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Schaible: 3rd-degree murder, second child dead of untreated pneumonia

  71. 2014Martinique

    Emmanuel Gordon: eight-year sentence in absentia for abuse during spiritual education

  72. 2014Jadranska Lesnica, Serbia

    Branislav Peranovic: twenty-year murder sentence at an Orthodox addiction center

  73. 2014Zhaoyuan, Shandong, China

    Zhaoyuan 'Almighty God' group: murder convictions after defendants called a stranger a demon

  74. 2014Raleigh, NC, USA

    Thomas L. Kimmel: convictions for a Ponzi scheme marketed through Biblical-finance seminars

  75. 2014Cartagena, Bolívar, Colombia

    Virgilio Sierra Avendaño: final 24-year sentence for abusing a congregant's child

  76. 2015Caguas, Puerto Rico

    Israel Berríos-Berríos: eleven-year federal sentence after altar-service access

  77. 2015Bouya Omar, El Kelâa des Sraghna, Morocco

    Bouya Omar: official findings end shrine-based confinement of people with mental illness

  78. 2016Benin

    Benin 'voodoo convents' — child servitude for ritual debt

  79. 2016Sydney, Australia

    Royal Commission Case Study 29: 1,006 alleged JW perpetrators, none reported to police

  80. 2016Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Bikram Choudhury: civil jury — 'malice, oppression and fraud'; $7.3M; left US

  81. 2016São Paulo State, Brazil

    São Paulo pastor: unanimous conviction for assault presented as purification

  82. 2016Franks Eddy, Cayo District, Belize

    Julio Cesar Garcia: Belize Court of Appeal affirms church-member abuse conviction

  83. 2016Lagos, Nigeria

    Chukwuemeka Ezeugo ('Rev. King'): murder and attempted-murder convictions affirmed

  84. 2016Rochdale, England, UK

    Mohammed Syeedy: life sentence for theological murder of ruqyah practitioner Jalal Uddin

  85. 2016Pattharkot, Sarlahi District, Nepal

    Ram Bahadur Bomjon: Supreme Court appeal pending after High Court acquittal

  86. 2016Suva, Fiji

    Iowane Vakadranu: Back to Eden pastor convicted after using divine-command claims to sexually exploit followers

  87. 2016Siem Reap, Cambodia

    Vong Chet: former pagoda chief sentenced for sexual abuse of novice monks in residential care

  88. 2016Laurel, DE, USA

    Laurel congregation: Delaware court rejects automatic clergy-privilege defense to child-abuse reporting action

  89. 2016Sinjar District, Iraq

    UN commission finds that ISIS committed genocide against the Yazidis

  90. 2017Bruges, Belgium

    Bruges: Nigerian voodoo-trafficking ring convicted

  91. 2017Sirsa, India

    Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh: 20 years, rape of two followers (Dera Sacha Sauda)

  92. 2017Gualaceo, Azuay, Ecuador

    Gualaceo curandero: twenty-nine-year sentence after a false healing claim and death threat

  93. 2017Dubai, United Arab Emirates

    Unnamed imam: three-month sentence for assault during Quranic healing

  94. 2017Nouadhibou, Mauritania

    UN Working Group finds Mkhaitir's apostasy prosecution and detention arbitrary

  95. 2018Benin City, Nigeria

    Oba of Benin revokes juju trafficking oaths

  96. 2018Spain

    Europol op: 89 arrests, Nigerian juju trafficking ring

  97. 2018Paris, France

    Paris trial — voodoo-oath sex-trafficking network

  98. 2018Birmingham, UK

    Iyamu — 1st Modern Slavery Act cross-border juju conviction

  99. 2018Brockton, MA, USA

    MA child-torture cases charged as 'voodoo ritual'

  100. 2018Jodhpur, India

    Asaram Bapu: life imprisonment, rape of a minor under exorcism pretext

  101. 2018Si Sa Ket, Thailand

    Wirapol Sukphol (ex-monk): 16 years, rape of a 13-year-old

  102. 2018Harrisburg, PA, USA

    PA grand jury: 301 priests, 1,000+ child victims documented ('weaponized' faith)

  103. 2018Ramanagara, India

    Nithyananda: rape charges framed; non-bailable warrant; fled India 2019 (never tried)

  104. 2018Brasília, Federal District, Brazil

    Brasília religious leader: conviction affirmed for sex obtained through a curse-and-anointing claim

  105. 2018Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

    Melvin David Quiroz and Ana Rosmery Brito: convictions for demon-deliverance abuse scheme

  106. 2018Moscow, Russia

    Andrei Popov ('God Kuzya'): convictions for religious-group abuse and fraud

  107. 2018Alwar, Rajasthan, India

    Falahari Baba: life sentence for rape of a disciple in his ashram

  108. 2018Brooklyn Center, MN, USA

    Meally Morris Freeman: two convictions after a purported deliverance session

  109. 2018Freeport, ME, USA

    James Talbot: guilty pleas for abuse during religious instruction at a Maine church

  110. 2018Batang Kali, Selangor, Malaysia

    EE Yong Nan: Court of Appeal upholds 12-year sentence for rape during a purported cleansing ritual

  111. 2018London, UK

    Rigpa-commissioned investigation upholds serious allegations against Sogyal Rinpoche

  112. 2018Myanmar

    UN fact-finding mission: Buddhist-nationalist hate campaign helped enable mass violence against Rohingya

  113. 2018Germany

    MHG Study: commissioned review identifies 1,670 accused clerics and 3,677 affected minors

  114. 2019Marseille, France

    Marseille: Supreme Vikings juju-oath trafficking convictions

  115. 2019Milan, Italy

    Milan: voodoo 'mental dependency' slavery conviction

  116. 2019Vatican City

    McCarrick: ex-cardinal found guilty by Vatican canonical process, laicized

  117. 2019Abadiânia, Brazil

    João Teixeira de Faria ('John of God'): convicted of rapes of spiritual patients; ~600 accusers

  118. 2019Mar del Plata, Argentina

    Monte Sión: affirmed convictions for trafficking, servitude and sexual abuse

  119. 2019Planalto Norte, Santa Catarina, Brazil

    Planalto Norte spiritual leader: appellate court affirms a ten-year sexual-abuse sentence

  120. 2019Surat, Gujarat, India

    Narayan Sai: life sentences after convictions involving a devotee and ashram administrator

  121. 2019Alexandria, VA, USA

    Terry Millender: eight-year sentence for selling a fraudulent investment as a Christian mission

  122. 2019Hagatna, Guam

    Anthony Apuron: final Vatican judgment for offenses against minors

  123. 2019Feni, Bangladesh

    SM Siraj Ud Daula and co-defendants convicted at trial of retaliatory murder after a student's harassment complaint

  124. 2019Halifax, Canada

    Shambhala-commissioned investigation finds two sexual-misconduct allegations against Sakyong Mipham credible

  125. 2020Limpopo, South Africa

    Hlungwani ritual murder: 4 relatives, life

  126. 2020Albany, NY, USA

    NXIVM/Keith Raniere: 120 years — branding, collateral, sex trafficking

  127. 2020Glasgow, UK

    Derek Lincoln (Children of God): guilty plea, 11.5 years, rape of two children

  128. 2020Knutby, Uppsala, Sweden

    Knutby leadership: three former pastors convicted of assault, coercion and sexual exploitation

  129. 2020San Salvador, El Salvador

    José Eligio Esquina Pérez: twenty-year sentence after a prophetic healing pretext

  130. 2020St. Catherine, Jamaica

    Winston Campbell: charged over alleged sex-as-deliverance claims

  131. 2020Willemstad, Curaçao

    Orlando B. (O.I.B.): fourteen-year sentence upheld for abuse of seven community members

  132. 2020Turkistan Region, Kazakhstan

    Nurgazy Bukhbanbayev: eleven-year rape sentence after claimed healing and clairvoyance

  133. 2020Berkane and Oujda, Morocco

    'Raqi of Berkane': ten-year sentence affirmed for trafficking and sexual violence

  134. 2020El Gedaref, Sudan

    El Gedaref khalwa leader: conviction for abuse of Quranic-school pupils

  135. 2020Singapore

    Ab Razak Ab Hameed: fifteen-month sentence for abuse during claimed protection and exorcism rituals

  136. 2020Sumter, SC, USA

    Larry Durant: affirmed twenty-year sentence for abuse presented as prayer and spiritual protection

  137. 2020Cartagena, Bolívar, Colombia

    Sergio Luis Betancourt Yepes: 16-year sentence for assault during a purported deliverance ritual

  138. 2020Brussels and Liège, Belgium

    Robert Spatz: final five-year suspended sentence for abuse and exploitation within OKC

  139. 2020Espanola, NM, USA

    3HO-commissioned investigation finds sexual and related misconduct by Yogi Bhajan more likely than not

  140. 2020Burlington, VT, USA

    St. Joseph's Orphanage task force: abuse documented, murder uncorroborated and charges time-barred

  141. 2021Mount Dora, FL, USA

    Grave desecration for a Palo Mayombe shrine

  142. 2021Valladolid, Spain

    Spain Supreme Court upholds voodoo-oath trafficking (20 yrs)

  143. 2021Cullinan, South Africa

    Gabisile Shabane: child killed for muti (life terms)

  144. 2021London, UK

    Danyal Hussein: life, murders of Bibaa Henry & Nicole Smallman (blood-pact)

  145. 2021Paris, France

    CIASE/Sauvé Report: est. 216,000 abused by French clergy since 1950

  146. 2021Quapaw, OK, USA

    Carl Gene Ortner Jr.: conviction after posing as a Native spiritual counselor

  147. 2021El Terrón, Ngäbe-Buglé, Panama

    El Terrón: nine convictions after seven people were killed during a sect’s religious rite

  148. 2021Zlín and Olomouc regions, Czech Republic

    Jaroslav Dobeš and Barbora Plášková: seven rape convictions involving an ‘unhooking’ ritual

  149. 2021Yesera San Sebastián, Tarija, Bolivia

    Yesera curandero: twelve-year sentence for assaults committed under cleansing-ritual claims

  150. 2021Soyapango, San Salvador, El Salvador

    Manuel Quijano Vega: sixteen-year sentence in a child congregant case

  151. 2021Accra, Ghana

    Daniel Akuffo: fifteen-year sentence for abuse under an exorcism pretext

  152. 2021Yaoundé, Cameroon

    André Guy Atangana Mbida: life sentence for fatal violence during claimed exorcism

  153. 2021Nebraska, USA

    Nebraska attorney general report: 258 documented victims across three Catholic dioceses

  154. 2021North Dakota, USA

    North Dakota BCI clergy-abuse investigation: probable cause identified but surviving cases time-barred

  155. 2022Malawi

    Malawi albino ritual murder: 155-year sentences

  156. 2022Woodridge, NY, USA

    Lev Tahor leaders convicted: kidnapping + child exploitation (forced child marriage)

  157. 2022Vicenza, Italy

    Ethan Melzer (O9A): 45 years, plot to ambush his own Army unit

  158. 2022Bisbee, AZ, USA

    LDS 'help line' case (AP/court records): abuse continued 7 yrs; wife convicted

  159. 2022Bandung, Indonesia

    Herry Wirawan: life sentence for abuse of students under pesantren authority

  160. 2022Kayunga, Uganda

    Uganda v. Sentongo: infant murder and aggravated trafficking for ritual exploitation

  161. 2022Rosignol, West Coast Berbice, Guyana

    Andrew Hannibal: Guyana Court of Appeal affirms pastor's child-rape conviction

  162. 2022Atiquizaya, Ahuachapán, El Salvador

    Francisco Abigail Zuniga Figueroa: twelve-year sentence for abuse of a child congregant

  163. 2022Kingston, Jamaica

    Oraine Ellis: rape conviction upheld after church counselling pretext

  164. 2022Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands

    Derrick Miller: eleven-year sentence after abuse of pastoral trust

  165. 2022Um Baru, North Darfur, Sudan

    Um Baru khalwa leader: fifteen-year sentence for abuse of child pupils

  166. 2022Thomastown, MS, USA

    Marcus Lepard: conviction affirmed after Sunday-school access was used to groom a child

  167. 2022Fort Leonard Wood, MO, USA

    David J. McKay: thirty-year sentence for abuse enabled through a military youth ministry

  168. 2022Fallujah, Iraq

    Taha A.-J.: final life sentence for genocide and enslavement of two Yazidi captives

  169. 2022Sialkot, Pakistan

    Priyantha Kumara lynching: 88 convictions after a false blasphemy allegation mobilized a factory mob

  170. 2023Lausanne, Switzerland

    Swiss court — juju sex-trafficking conviction

  171. 2023West Bountiful, UT, USA

    Carl Matthew Johnson (LDS bishop, ex-mayor): 9-to-life, child sexual abuse

  172. 2023Toledo, OH, USA

    Michael Zacharias: life sentence for trafficking victims groomed through priestly authority

  173. 2023Paris, France

    Gregorian Bivolaru / MISA: French judicial investigation for aggravated rape and human trafficking

  174. 2023Salta, Argentina

    Salta temple: affirmed trafficking convictions for two spiritual leaders

  175. 2023Tubarão, Santa Catarina, Brazil

    Tubarão pastor: forty-year sentence for thirteen acts framed as prayer

  176. 2023Brasília, Federal District, Brazil

    Brasília pastor: appellate court affirms conviction for abuse presented as curse removal

  177. 2023Nahuizalco, Sonsonate, El Salvador

    Edwin Analberto Pérez González: twenty-year sentence after church-work grooming

  178. 2023Sidi Bel Abbès, Algeria

    Mazraoua raqi: five-year sentence after fatal beating framed as spirit removal

  179. 2023Tangier, Morocco

    Tangier raqi: ten-year sentence for assaults committed through claimed ruqya

  180. 2023Benton County, TN, USA

    Joshua Henley: forty-five-year sentence after parish work was used to transport and abuse a teen

  181. 2023Patarrá, San José Province, Costa Rica

    Mauricio Víquez: final twenty-year sentence and civil finding against church authorities

  182. 2023Illinois, USA

    Illinois attorney general report: 451 substantiated Catholic clerics and religious brothers, at least 1,997 children

  183. 2023Lisbon, Portugal

    Portugal independent commission validates 512 testimonies of child sexual abuse in the Catholic Church

  184. 2024Vredenburg, South Africa

    Joslin Smith — mother charged, muti trafficking of a child

  185. 2024Cité Soleil, Haiti

    Massacre: 184 killed on a Vodou priest's witchcraft accusation

  186. 2024Jacmel, Haiti

    Dana Jackson (US) dies at a manbo initiation retreat

  187. 2024Washington, DC, USA

    DC 'psychic' $4M extortion scheme (10+ yrs)

  188. 2024Hertfordshire, UK

    Makhan Singh Mauji (granthi): 24+ years, sexual assaults on three girls

  189. 2024Phoenix, AZ, USA

    Samuel Bateman: 50-year sentence in child-marriage and sexual-abuse conspiracy

  190. 2024Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Richard Densmore: 30-year sentence for 764-network exploitation and coercion

  191. 2024Longford, Ireland

    David Reilly: conviction for assault during an energy-healing session

  192. 2024Gran Canaria, Spain

    Gran Canaria court convicts a Santería practitioner who used rites to assault a child

  193. 2024Istanbul, Turkey

    Adnan Oktar: final convictions for sexual abuse, confinement and coercion within his organization

  194. 2024Shakahola, Kilifi County, Kenya

    Paul Mackenzie and 30 co-defendants: 191 murder charges in the Shakahola proceeding

  195. 2024La Matanza, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina

    Abba Krishna: four convictions for aggravated human trafficking

  196. 2024Cartagena and Turbaco, Bolívar, Colombia

    Cartagena: man charged over assaults allegedly presented as spirit-cleansing sessions

  197. 2024Vázquez de Coronado, San José Province, Costa Rica

    Manuel Antonio Guevara Fonseca: eighteen-year sentence for abuse of a child altar server

  198. 2024Camoapa, Boaco, Nicaragua

    Mariano Ramón Sánchez Martínez: twenty-two-year sentence after pastoral guardianship

  199. 2024Drama, Greece

    Unnamed priest: conviction upheld for sexual touching during confession

  200. 2024Kinshasa and Moanda, Democratic Republic of the Congo

    Pierre Kasambakana: eleven-year sentence for forced marriage and sexual offenses

  201. 2024Port-Gentil, Gabon

    Martial Mbele Obiang: fifteen-year sentence for abuse framed as divine revelation

  202. 2024Bulaq al-Dakrur, Giza, Egypt

    Bulaq spiritual healer: ten-year sentence for coercive recording and extortion

  203. 2024Lame Deer, MT, USA

    Dean Alan Smith: convictions and thirty-year sentence for abuse of children who trusted him as pastor

  204. 2024Dakar, Senegal

    UN prevention-of-torture review documents forced begging and abuse in Senegal’s daara system

  205. 2024Tehran, Iran

    UN fact-finding mission: mandatory-hijab enforcement and protest repression in Iran amount to gender persecution

  206. 2025Tucson, AZ, USA

    Baron Martin (764 network): DOJ terrorism-support charges (indictment — charges only)

  207. 2025Towaoc, CO, USA

    Lyndreth Hemp Wall: 15 federal convictions for assaults during purported spiritual treatment

  208. 2025Brooklyn, NY, USA

    OneTaste leaders convicted of forced-labor conspiracy

  209. 2025Daejeon, South Korea

    Jeong Myeong-seok / JMS: Supreme Court affirms 17-year sentence

  210. 2025Kansas City, KS, USA

    United Nation of Islam leaders sentenced in child forced-labor conspiracy

  211. 2025Manila, Philippines

    Apollo Quiboloy / KOJC: Philippine proceedings and separate U.S. trafficking indictment

  212. 2025Salt Lake County, UT, USA

    Former LDS bishop Mark Lehnhof Stevens charged with assaulting a minor during religious counseling

  213. 2025Frutal, Minas Gerais, Brazil

    Frutal Umbanda leader: nearly fifty years for sexual crimes presented as rituals

  214. 2025Criciúma, Santa Catarina, Brazil

    Criciúma spiritual-healing leader: forty-year sentence for crimes against ten women

  215. 2025Cartagena, Bolívar, Colombia

    Sergio Betancourt: sixteen-year sentence for assaults committed through exorcism claims

  216. 2025Paramaribo, Suriname

    Cedric Landveld: conviction after sexual abuse during prayer and anointing

  217. 2025La Vega and Guaduas, Cundinamarca, Colombia

    Édgar Orlando Gaitán Camacho: fourteen-year appellate sentence for assaults during yagé healing rituals

  218. 2025La Esperanza, Trujillo, Peru

    Trujillo: purported shaman held pretrial over alleged assault during a cleansing ritual

  219. 2025Heredia and San José, Costa Rica

    Carlos Chavarría Fonseca: affirmed thirty-six-year sentence and a later child-rape conviction

  220. 2025Oratorio, Santa Rosa, Guatemala

    Lev Tahor in Guatemala: leader and marriage officiant charged in forced-pregnancy proceeding

  221. 2025San Pedro Sula, Cortés, Honduras

    Erick Geovany Zambrano Estrada: three convictions tied to Sunday-school access

  222. 2025Los Alcarrizos, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

    Johan Manuel Castillo Ortega: ten-year sentence for abuse of six child congregants

  223. 2025Higüey, La Altagracia, Dominican Republic

    Víctor Manuel Kery and Robinson Peguero: convictions after overnight church vigils

  224. 2025Novosibirsk, Russia

    Vissarion community leaders: convictions for psychological violence and serious harm

  225. 2025Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

    Pastor Jonas: conviction for a public witchcraft accusation during prayer

  226. 2025Ouesso, Republic of the Congo

    Lili Endakeki: five-year sentence for abusive claimed spiritual treatment

  227. 2025Northern Uganda

    Joseph Kony / LRA: ICC confirms 29 war-crime and crimes-against-humanity charges in absentia

  228. 2025Hämeenlinna region, Finland

    Hämeenlinna faith-movement 'prophet': first-instance convictions for sexual abuse, violence and extortion

  229. 2025Afghanistan

    ICC warrants: Taliban supreme leader and chief justice accused of gender persecution

  230. 2025Lima, Peru

    Vatican suppresses Sodalitium Christianae Vitae after official investigation

  231. 2025Jerusalem, Israel

    Knesset hearings and active police review of organized ritual sexual-abuse allegations

  232. 2025Leelanau County, MI, USA

    Michigan attorney general opens criminal investigation into Twin Flames Universe

  233. 2026Miami, FL, USA

    Little River: Haitian-Vodou threat to traffic a victim

  234. 2026London, UK

    Imam Abdul Halim Khan: life, 21 sexual offences; victims' beliefs used to silence them (CPS)

  235. 2026Las Vegas, NV, USA

    Nathan Chasing Horse: 13 felony convictions and 37-years-to-life sentence

  236. 2026Detroit, MI, USA

    Kingdom of God Global Church leaders charged in multi-state forced-labor conspiracy

  237. 2026Orange, NJ, USA

    Jesus Is Lord by the Holy Ghost pastors charged with forced labor; Treva Edwards also charged with sex trafficking

  238. 2026Baltimore, MD, USA

    Erik Madison: 764 member pleads guilty to exploiting minors

  239. 2026The Hague, Netherlands

    The Hague court convicts a spiritual healer of rape and sexual assault during healing sessions

  240. 2026Cuenca, Azuay, Ecuador

    Cuenca curandero: appellate court imposes twenty-nine-year sentence after assault during medicine sessions

  241. 2026Regadillos, Lepaterique, Francisco Morazán, Honduras

    Lepaterique pastor: charged after an alleged prayer-and-anointing pretext

  242. 2026El Progreso, Yoro, Honduras

    Denis Javier Erazo Cruz: trial over alleged abuse and domestic servitude after pastoral placement

  243. 2026Guadeloupe

    Jean-Luc Promeneur: seventeen-year sentence for abuse under mystical domination

  244. 2026Fort-de-France, Martinique

    Patrick Phanor-Lange: twelve-year sentence for aggravated rape by spiritual authority

  245. 2026St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands

    Lawrence Turnbull: federal and territorial charges involving a child congregant

  246. 2026Astana, Kazakhstan

    Unnamed TikTok healer: final fraud conviction for paid magical-healing claims

  247. 2026Touba and Diourbel, Senegal

    Serigne Khadim Mbacké: twenty-year sentence for abuse of Quranic-school pupils

  248. 2026Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

    Moumouni Ibrahima: prosecutor announces investigation of alleged coercion of congregants

  249. 2026Conakry, Guinea

    Abdoulaye Bangoura: police investigation of alleged abuse during a healing ritual

  250. 2026El Omrane, Tunis, Tunisia

    El Omrane ruqya killing: murder conviction after a fatal claimed healing session

  251. 2026Haupiri, West Coast, New Zealand

    Howard Temple / Gloriavale: 12 guilty pleas; High Court substitutes home detention on sentence appeal

  252. 2026Albany County, New York, USA

    Norse Pagan church leader James Yerdon charged with child sexual abuse in New York

  253. 2026Meridian, ID, USA

    Isaiah Teague: life sentence after abuse of a child he met as a youth pastor

  254. 2026Huntsville, AL, USA

    Adrian Derrell Davis: five-year sentence for embezzling funds entrusted to him as pastor

  255. 2026Uduwila, Elpitiya, Sri Lanka

    Uduwila Sujatha: Court of Appeal affirms ten-year sentence for abuse of a child preparing for ordination

  256. 2026Lexington, Kentucky, USA

    Zachary King: former LexCity executive pastor sentenced after admitting sexual offenses against a minor congregant

  257. 2026Jerusalem, Israel

    Knesset panel hears former Bratslav-community members on child marriage and abuse

  258. 2026Athens, Greece

    Ark of the World: appellate convictions for physical abuse and punitive treatment

  259. 2026Rhode Island, USA

    Rhode Island attorney general report: 75 credibly accused clergy and over 300 reported victims

  260. 2026Tarnów, Poland

    Tarnów bishop on trial over alleged delay in reporting child-abuse allegations against priests

  261. 2026Tokyo, Japan

    Unification Church in Japan: final dissolution order over organized unlawful donation solicitation

A documentary survey of belief used as an instrument of coercion.

Source register audited July 2026 · About · Sources