Pardon Granted to 'Last Witch of Salem' After 329 Years in Massachusetts

Members of the U.S. State Congress have officially exonerated Elizabeth Johnson Jr., the last person on the list convicted of witchcraft and sentenced to death. According to Говорит Москва, Johnson managed to escape execution in 1693, but she did not receive a pardon.

The authorities reviewed her case only three centuries later, spurred by eighth graders from a Massachusetts school who brought attention to it. The children called on lawmakers to officially restore justice to the victim of the witch hunt.

“We can never change what happened, but we can bring clarity,” said state senator Diana DiZoglio.

From February 1692 to May 1693, trials for witchcraft took place in Salem, Massachusetts. Fourteen women and six men were executed on charges of witchcraft, and about 200 people were imprisoned.