Church and Society of the Livingstonia CCAP Synod has called on President Peter Mutharika and others fighting for death sentence to soberly approach the matter raising fear that a hasty decision might culminate into further human rights violations.
Reacting to the recent wave of killings of people with albinism, some people have called on the government to administer capital punishment on albino killers as one way of stopping the vice.
Church and Society’s Project Manager for Local Governance Project, Kolezi Phiri, said the measures that the country will be putting in place should respect the country’s fundamental rights.
“There have been calls for death sentence for those involved in the brutal acts but that is wrong considering that one of the fundamental principles in the country’s supreme law is the right to life for everybody. The fact that one has violated the rights over persons with albinism should not blur us from the very principles that govern us.
“I am not saying these people [perpetrators of violence on people with albinism] should not be punished but our actions should respect the principles that govern the country,” said Phiri.
On its part Federation of Disability Organisations in Malawi (Fedoma) has called on Mutharika to declare the gruesome killings and abductions against people with albinism a national crisis.
“When people are losing lives it is something serious and this to us calls for total protection and unrelenting support for all persons with albinism.
“The situation constitutes a national crisis declaration considering its escalation but as disability organisations body in Malawi, we cannot condone killings on top of other killings. That will be in total violation of our own rights,” said Fedoma’s Programmes Assistant Mtendere Malemia.
Both Fedoma and Church and Society have since called for total mainstreaming of disability matters in all government departments, councils as well as the private sector if the well being of the disabled is to receive the attention it deserves.
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