Albino murder trial
A trial began in Burundi on Tuesday with 11 people accused of murder and attempted murder of 12 albinos. It is believed that the albinos were killed for their body parts which were then smuggled out of Burundi and into Tanzania to be sold to witch-doctors to use in ‘magic potions'. If found to be guilty, the defendants could be sentenced to life imprisonment.
This is the first trial of its kind in Burundi. Witchdoctors in the region of East Africa tell their clients that potions made with albino body parts will bring them good luck and success. In Tanzania there have been over 40 cases of albino murders with at least 200 arrests of people involved in the trade, although no one has yet been convicted.
An association campaigning for the rights of albinos in Burundi says that much more needs to be done in order to stop the murders, although it acknowledged that the trial does show that the cases are at last being taken seriously.
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