Penal Code (Amendment), Act No. 31 of 2016.

The Penal Code (Amendment) Act No. 31 of 2016 strengthens the legal framework for the protection of vulnerable groups by introducing severe criminal sanctions against offences related to the illicit trade in human body parts and crimes committed against persons with disabilities, including persons with albinism. The amendment first introduces a legal definition of “tissue” in Section 2 of the principal Act, clarifying that it includes any human tissue such as flesh, organs, bones, body fluids, and their derivatives. It further inserts new offences carrying penalties of up to life imprisonment, beginning with Section 224A, which criminalizes the possession of a human corpse or human tissue. Section 224B establishes liability for conspiring with, inciting, or otherwise causing third parties to harm persons with disabilities, including acts of killing, maiming, grievous bodily harm, sexual or other forms of assault, or the extraction of human tissue, with disability explicitly including conditions such as albinism and intellectual or psychosocial impairments. Finally, Section 224C introduces aggravating circumstances where the offender holds a close personal relationship with the victim, including cases where the offender is a relative.