Malawi court fines albino bone hunters K20, 000 as MPs call for ‘lenghty sentence’

Kasungu magistrates’ court on Thursday fined two people K20, 000 each or on default 18 months in jail for being found digging a grave where an albino lady was buried some several years ago.

As the magistrate was metting out the sentence, members of parliament, led by Machinga east legislator Esther Jolobola were seeking to change the law to have death sentences all those hunting and killing albinos including those seeking the albino bones through digging of the graves of the dead albino.

But in Kasungu, Magistrate Damiano Banda heard that Yamikani Phiri 23 and Peter Kamanga were caught digging the grave of Mirriam Mbedza in an effort to extract her bones.

The convicts were then charged with a lesser charge of trespassing a graveyard.

Both Phiri and Kamanga, who were arrested on October 25, 2015 for the offence, hail from Chief Kaomba’s area in Kasungu.

Meanwhile, at parliament building in Lilongwe, calls for stiffer punishment for people like Phiri and Kamanga grew louder and louder.

The members of parliament, from all political parties in the 193 strong House noted that the two to three year sentences to those seeking to extract bones of people with albinism was a mockery of justice.

They all agreed to change the legislation to ensure that those hunting or killing people with albinism should be behind bars all their lives to give peace to the people with albinism.

Just weeks ago, people with albinism asked the government to intervene so that special courts who can hear cases concerning people with albinism should be set up so that the court can give meaningful sentences to perpetrators of the crime.

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