Albinism Murder Trial begins in Tanzania

Highly anticipated trial of twelve people accused of murdering persons with albinism and using their body parts for witchcraft purpose is set to begin in western Tanzanian.

The recent killings of people who have skin defect has reached forty in the past eighteen months. Witchdoctors from many parts of western Tanzania are selling Albino body parts for huge sums of money, claiming to make their client wealthy and have good fortune in business. Many believe prominent Tanzanian businessmen are amongst the clients of the witchdoctors. Some businessmen were arrested accused of killing Albinos however, no one has faced trial as yet. Human rights groups in Tanzania had earlier expressed their disappointment and concerns regarding the delay in bring the accused to trial in towns of Shinyanga and Kahama in western Tanzania. “The justice system is slow and full of corruption,” said Will Ross, BBC’s East African correspondent. Albinism results from inheritance of recessive alleles. The condition is known to affect mammals (including humans), fish, birds, reptiles and amphibians. While the most common term for an organism affected by albinism is "albino" (noun and adjective), the word is sometimes used in derogatory ways towards people. A person with congenital albinism has white hair and milky skin; eyes are usually pink. Adults and children with albinism have been attacked frequently inside their homes. Brutally murdered and their limbs severed. Any body part of person with albinism can fetch thousands of dollars. Miners, businessmen and fishermen with black magic beliefs have been accused to increase demand for body parts in western Tanzania, location famous for its diamond mines in the world.