Chief chemist`s office under fire over albino body parts
The Chief Government Chemist’s Office came under fire yesterday over failure to provide screening results of unidentified body parts of people with albinism.
Under The Same Sun (UTSS) executive-director Vicky Ntetema wants the government office to give reasons why it has failed to test and issue as soon as possible results of samples taken there for screening, which in turn would help in pushing ahead investigations going on about the incident.
“There are about two samples which were given to the Chief Chemist [Office] in 2007 and 2009, but results of any of them have not been issued to the public,” she said in an interview.
Ntetema urged the office to play its role to contribute in calling an end to attacks against and killings of people with albinism, which she described as one of the most despicable crimes against humanity which has ever witnessed.
Citing an example, she said the public is yet to be informed what had happened after an incident of chopping off an albino had in Zanzibar. “There has been no information on such incidents,” stressed Ntetema.
She also faulted the office of the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), questioning efficiency of its method of working on cases relating to suspects implicated to attacking, killing or hunting people with albinism.
“We, as UTSS and the people of this country, have been very sadden by the decision taken out by the DPP to revoke four cases and free suspects,” stressed Ntetema.
She cited an example of Adam, whose father happened to mastermind of the chopping of albino organs, but the office of the DPP has done nothing substantial to prosecute him on grounds that there was no evidence to do so.
Meanwhile, UTSS is planning to start its campaigns in various regions mostly affected by the killings of people with albinism. The campaigns will kick off on 15 July and end on August 18, with the aim of raising public awareness on many issues related to albinism.
According to UTSS’s White and Black film producer Jean Francois Mean, they will use the campaign to conduct different seminars and dialogues with the society.
“We are also going to distribute the White and Black film to the society so that they can have a glimpse on it…I urge everyone in their respective regions to come out and participate,” he said.