A Catholic priest from Malawi was given a 30-year prison term for the brutal 2018 killing of an albino man whose body parts he intended to sell.
On Monday, June 27, Judge Dorothy NyaKaunda Kamanga handed out her ruling and condemned Catholic priest Thomas Muhosha, police officer Chikondi Chileka, and three other defendants to 30 years in prison with hard labor for dealing in human tissue.
The judge said that Fr. Thomas Muhosha intended to sell MacDonald Masambuka, 22,’s tissue.
The body of Mr. Masambuka, whose legs and arms had been severed, was found one month after his disappearance was reported in February 2018. He was brutally murdered in a cemetery after being duped by his brother into thinking they had found him a suitable wife and that he should go meet her.
For killing the man, five people, including his brother, received life sentences in prison. Four further people, in addition to the priest, were given a 30-year prison term.
According to a judgment issued in the city of Blantyre, “The offence was motivated by the deceased’s impairment, that of albinism.”
She claimed that the priest, who oversaw a church in Machinga, 100 miles northeast of Blantyre, the nation’s second-largest city, had betrayed the confidence many had placed in him.
The murder took place in the midst of a rampage that left more than 40 people with albinism dead and dozens of others assaulted.
The judge declared, “The convicted took advantage of the deceased’s psychological need for affection.”
It turned out to be his death trap when they tricked him into thinking they had discovered a potential wife for him and that they should go meet her.
The government was represented in the lawsuit by Pilirani Masanjala. He claimed that he was pleased with the verdict.
It ensures that everyone who has been identified, accused, and found guilty of any of these horrendous crimes shall be subject to the full force of the law “. remarked Masanjala “Therefore, as public prosecutions directors, we are pleased to see that the courts are doing that these days.
William Masapi, who represented people with albinism in court, claimed that the sentences act as a deterrence to such assaults.
“Because we are also composed of humans. We must savor life “said Masapi. “We have obligations to this nation; some of us are employed by the government and contribute to its growth. People should therefore understand from today that those of us with albinism are just like them.
The Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace’s national coordinator in Malawi, Boniface Chibwana, applauded the sentence.
He added that more needs to be done to stop the attacks.
The issue is gaining momentum in terms of sensitization, according to Chibwana, so that we can put an end to the killing and kidnapping of people with albinism in Malawi. “If we look at the high level personnel, three people that are working with the government, that are working with the church being involved in this case,” Chibwana said.
According to the Catholic Church in Malawi, the procedure to remove Muhosha from the priesthood is currently under consideration.
