Parliament criminalises human sacrificing

Uganda’s Parliament has passed a Bill criminalising human sacrificing. Until now, the country’s laws did not provide for the crime and suspects were prosecuted on murder charges. The Prevention and Prohibition of Human Sacrifices Bill 2020 proposes a death sentence for any person convicted of committing human sacrifice or financing the practice. BBC News reports that it also criminalises the possession of human parts, their use for medicine or sale or personal use. Anyone convicted for the offence faces life imprisonment. Irene Kagoya, an associate director of World Vision in Uganda who was instrumental in passing the law, said the problem is ‘deep-rooted’ but statistics are hard to establish.