The Supreme Court of Cyprus has rejected an appeal from a woman seeking to overturn a search warrant issued for her premises on 18 September 2024, in what has become an unusual case involving allegations of black magic and witchcraft.
The defendant, who claims to be a follower of the Mexican “Santa Muerte” (Holy Death) deity, challenged the legality of a police search of her storage facility in Kakopetria, where authorities discovered various items including human skulls, bones, dragons, onions, and garlic.
Evidence presented to the court included a live video posted by the accused, where she allegedly offered paid services to make men fall in love through magic. Police found numerous items during their search, including:
- Fox bones and snake remains
- Tarot cards and coins
- Glass skulls with snakes
- Bags containing hair with people’s names
- Ram skulls with horns
- Witch’s hat and black cape
- Money in a skull-shaped cup
- Various ritual items including black and red candles
While the defendant argued that the items were part of her religious practice and protected under Article 18 of the Cyprus Constitution guaranteeing freedom of religion, the court found sufficient evidence to uphold the search warrant’s validity.
Judge D. Ioannides noted that while religious freedom is protected, the case centres on allegations of paid services for magic practices. A police informant claimed the defendant had requested payment to help establish a romantic relationship with a younger man, followed by threats when payment was refused.
The court dismissed claims that the absence of actual payment undermined the case, noting that receiving payment would have constituted additional fraud charges.
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