Congolese military court sentences lawmaker to death

MP Edouard Mwangachuchu was found guilty of treason and taking part in a paramilitary uprising.

A military court in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has condemned Edouard Mwangachuchu, a member of the legislature, to death on treason and M23 rebel movement-related offences.

Mwangachuchu, who was not present for the sentence, was found guilty of “illegal possession of weapons and munitions of war,” according to General Robert Kalala, the presiding judge, who announced the decision on Friday, according to AFP.

Although it is frequently imposed in the DRC, the death penalty has not been carried out in 20 years and is typically commuted to life in prison.

Mwangachuchu, 70, was jailed since his detention at the beginning of March. He is the National Assembly representative for North Kivu’s Masisi seat.

The defendant, who also owns a mining business with connections to Rwanda, was the target of a life sentence request made by the prosecution in August. He was charged by the government with “participation in the M23 insurrectionary movement” in North Kivu, where Tutsi-led rebels occasionally clash with opposing militias.

According to Mwangachuchu’s defence, his sentencing was based in part on the fact that he belongs to the Tutsi ethnic group. Defence attorney Thomas Gamakolo declared his intention to challenge the decision on Friday, arguing that the trial was tainted by “ethnic hatred and deductions.”

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Gamakolo was quoted by AFP as adding, “It is really difficult to survive or exist as a Tutsi in our country now.

According to the court, the legal actions against Mr. Mwangachuchu were started when inhabitants of the mining town of Rubaya in North Kivu organised a self-defense group and drove M23 militants out of the area.

Authorities claimed to have found a stash of guns at Mwangachuchu’s Bisunzu Mining Company’s (SMB) Bibatama location. The court also noted throughout the hearings that SMB’s minerals were “sent to Rwanda, the country that attacked the DRC.” A paper discovered in the suspect’s safe further stated that he was “very concerned about the development of Rwanda” and that he owned “real estate in Rwanda.”

Following the rise of the M23 militia in eastern DRC, relations between Congo and Rwanda have gotten worse. Kinshasa claims that Kigali is supporting the gang, although the Rwandan government has always denied this. A team of UN experts asserted in August that they had proof that Rwandan soldiers were arming the M23 rebels and taking part in coordinated attacks on DRC armed forces.

In a nation where more than 6 million civilians are internally displaced, the continuous violence has caused the displacement of over 800,000 people, according to the UN.