DR Congo | THE BLACK EXAMINER | A military court in DR Congo sentenced a Member of Parliament (MP) to death on Friday, charging him with treason and alleged involvement with the M23 rebel movement. His lawyer criticized the verdict, describing it as rooted in “ethnic animosity.”
It’s noteworthy that while the death penalty is a common sentence in the Democratic Republic of Congo, it has not been carried out for two decades, usually being commuted to life imprisonment.
In August, the public prosecutor had requested a life sentence for Edouard Mwangachuchu, a 70-year-old MP representing the Masisi constituency in the national assembly and owning a mining company.
Mwangachuchu, who was absent during the sentencing, was found guilty of “unlawful possession of weapons and ammunition,” as well as “treason” and “involvement in the M23 insurrectionary movement,” as stated by presiding judge General Robert Kalala.
The M23 militia, led by Tutsi fighters, has gained control over parts of DR Congo’s North Kivu province since its resurgence in 2021. Independent UN experts, the Kinshasa government, and several Western nations, including the United States and France, accuse Rwanda of actively supporting the M23, a charge Rwanda strongly denies.
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Mwangachuchu was initially detained in early March and held in Kinshasa’s primary prison, Makala, before being transferred to the Ndolo military prison, where his trial, comprising around 30 hearings, took place.
His co-defendant, Robert Muchamalirwa, a police captain charged with “disobeying orders,” was acquitted by the court, which ordered his immediate release.
Mwangachuchu’s attorney announced that they intend to appeal the verdict, asserting that the trial was “fueled by ethnic prejudice and assumptions.” Thomas Gamakolo argued that there was never any concrete evidence linking Mwangachuchu to Rwanda and that he was presumed guilty solely due to his Tutsi ethnicity. He lamented the challenges faced by Tutsi individuals in the country, stating, “It is extremely difficult to live or exist as a Tutsi in our nation today.”
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