Malawi gives 155-year jail terms for albino murder
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Many people with albinism in Malawi feel vulnerable because of the high risk of attack
Three men in Malawi have been each sentenced by a High Court to 155 years in jail for killing a person with albinism.
Aged 44, 45 and 71, they were found guilty after they confessed to the murder of a 23-year-old albino man in January this year.
One of those sentenced was the man’s uncle.
Over the past decade, Malawi has experienced gruesome attacks and killings of people with albinism, fuelled by false beliefs that concoctions mixed with their body parts bring luck and wealth.
Since 2014, there have been more than 170 cases ranging from killings and grave-tampering to attempted abductions and physical violence.
Earlier this month, a High Court ruled on another albino murder case, finding a former Roman Catholic priest, a police officer and a hospital clinician guilty of trading in body parts.
The convictions were the first of prominent members of society linked to the attacks.
That ruling and these long jail terms are a message from the justice system that such killings and violence will not be tolerated. (BBC)