Man gouges out wife’s eyes in Tunisia after sorcerer’s ‘offering’ demand
The victim’s father said she refused her husband’s repeated ritual demands
Dubai: A 29-year-old Tunisian woman was left permanently blind after her husband gouged out both of her eyes, allegedly acting under instructions from a self-proclaimed sorcerer who demanded a “sacrifice” to lift a supposed ancient curse.
The assault took place in the town of Sbikha, in the Kairouan governorate of central Tunisia, and has sparked widespread outrage across the country.
According to local reports, the husband had been in contact with a man described as a sorcerer, who traveled from the capital to Kairouan with several family members to assist in locating a buried treasure allegedly hidden beneath the couple’s home.
The sorcerer allegedly told the husband that an ancient curse was preventing access to the treasure and that it could only be broken by offering a pair of human eyes.
The victim’s father said the woman had rejected her husband’s repeated demands to participate in the ritual. Pretending to seek reconciliation, the husband lured her home for dinner. After the meal, he reportedly assaulted her, then used a metal fork to gouge out her eyes, placing them in a plastic bag to deliver to the sorcerer. He left her bleeding and in critical condition.
The victim was rushed to the university hospital in Sousse, where she remains in critical condition with severe bleeding, a fractured neck, and psychological trauma.
Police have arrested the husband, who confessed fully to the attack. Authorities have not confirmed whether the alleged sorcerer has been located or charged.
While Tunisia has seen a rise in so-called witchcraft-related crimes in recent years, current laws do not specifically criminalise such practices. Instead, cases involving sorcery fall under general fraud and deception statutes, which carry a maximum sentence of five years in prison and fines up to $800.
In April, several members of parliament submitted a draft law to explicitly criminalize witchcraft and sorcery, but the bill has yet to be discussed by the legislative committee.
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