Petition Posthumous pardons for witchcraft, blasphemy & other laws now deemed offensive.

In light of today's posthumous pardons for all gay and bisexual men convicted of decades old sexual offences (convictions which like many others I found deeply upsetting) it is patently unfair that others in history are still regarded as "guilty" of things we would no longer consider as crimes.

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As examples: Gwen Ellis sentenced to death for witchcraft in 1594; Helen Duncan, the last person to be convicted (in 1944) of witchcraft under the 1735 act, was imprisoned for nine months; John William Gott imprisoned for blasphemy on December 9, 1921 for nine months with hard labour; The Gay News and Denis Lemon convicted of blasphemous libel in 1977...

This petition closed early because of a General Election Find out more on the Petitions Committee website

8 signatures

Progress of the petition towards its next target: 8 of 10,000 signatures required to get a government response

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10,000 signatures required to get a government response

Date closed 3 May 2017
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