The Democratic Republic of the Congo has decided to end a more than twenty-year-long ban on the capital punishment due to ongoing armed conflicts and militant attacks. The Ministry of Justice of this central African country announced the decision, stating that the suspension of death penalty since 2003 has allowed offenders to escape punishment without consequences.
Despite frequent imposition of the death penalty in the DR Congo, no convict has been put to death for more than two decades. Instead, their punishments are usually converted to life imprisonment. In October of last year, Edouard Mwangachuchu, a National Assembly member, was sentenced to death by a military court in the former Belgian colony. The charges included treason and association with the M23 rebel movement.
Decades of conflict have afflicted the eastern region of DR Congo, with numerous armed groups involved in violence, such as M23. The recent violent assaults by M23 have resulted in the displacement of thousands of individuals. This Tutsi-led faction has reportedly besieged various communities in the unstable area, gaining control over approximately half of North Kivu province. Accusations have been made by Congolese authorities, a group of UN experts, and Western governments, including the US, claiming that Rwanda has been supplying weapons to the M23 rebels for their operations in DR Congo. However, Rwanda has consistently denied these allegations.
Congolese Justice Minister Rose Mutombo stated that the reintroduction of the death penalty is a response to domestic conflicts that are frequently planned by foreign nations, who occasionally receive support from some of our fellow citizens.
The minister stated that by resuming executions, authorities will be able to eliminate traitors within the country’s army and prevent the increase of terrorism and urban banditry.
According to the statement, individuals accused of crimes such as espionage, involvement in prohibited organizations or insurgency movements, treason, or genocide, will face capital punishment.
The choice has generated broad criticism, with the local human rights organization Lucha denouncing it as unconstitutional and asserting that it creates a pathway for summary executions within a country that has a flawed justice system.
Tigere Chagutah, the Regional Director for East and Southern Africa at Amnesty International, deemed the reintroduction of executions in DR Congo as a blatant injustice towards individuals condemned to death, highlighting a heartless negligence towards the fundamental right to life.
SOURCE: DR Congo Reinstates Death Penalty BY: eTurboNews | eTN