A 10-year-old girl died in eastern Algeria during a violent exorcism or "roqya" session. The case has aroused the stir among many internet users, since the arrest on Thursday of a "healer" or "raqui".

In Algeria, the Prosecutor's Office of Guelma, a city located 500 kilometers east of Algiers, announced the arrest of an individual practicing roqya, after the death of a 10-year-old girl. She was "subjected to ill-treatment during a roqya to which she was subjected in her family home". No details were given on the reasons for which the little girl had been subjected to this exorcism session on Wednesday.

Abuse of the distress of the sick

According to the statement of the public prosecutor's office reproduced by the media, the little girl died when she arrived at the emergency department of Guelma hospital, "the little girl's body had traces of beatings and burns". The prosecution ordered an autopsy and the opening of an investigation, the same source said.

Exorcists are often called upon to treat the sick, "cast out the demon", protect themselves from the evil eye or help sterile wives. If Islam allows exorcism, considered legal, many people denounce the fact that it is often practiced by unscrupulous people who abuse the distress of the sick, especially those suffering from mental and spiritual illnesses.

Anger on social networks

On social networks, many internet users have expressed their anger after the girl's death during a "torture session" at the hands of a 28-year-old "executioner". The Algerian radio correspondent in the neighboring city of Constantine condemned an "abominable act committed by a charlatan". "Until when will these crimes continue," she wondered again on her Facebook page.

Are we going to pretend for a long time not to see the young girl slaughtered by her father tebessa and the ten-year-old girl tortured and killed by a raki in Guelma?

Posted by Akram Kharief on Friday May 29, 2020

Many on this social network denounced minimal media coverage of the drama "despite the cruelty of the facts committed by this charlatan". "We are going to pretend for a long time not to see [...] the ten-year-old girl tortured and killed by a raki in Guelma?", Journalist Akram Kharief, director of the MENA Defense site, also raised on his Facebook page.