Military court sentences Kabila to death

A military court in the Democratic DRC has sentenced former President Joseph Kabila to death in absentia, reports Al Jazeera. Lieutenant-General Joseph Mutombo Katalayi, who presided over the military tribunal, said on Tuesday that Kabila was convicted of various crimes, including treason, crimes against humanity, murder, sexual assault, torture and insurrection. The former President went on trial in absentia in July for his alleged support for the Rwanda-backed rebels, who seized large swaths of territory in the eastern DRC this year. Rwanda has denied providing military support to the M23, but UN experts say its army played a ‘critical’ role in the group’s offensive. There was no immediate information about Kabila’s whereabouts after the Military Court’s verdict. The ex-President did not attend the trial and was not represented by legal counsel. Neither he nor his representatives were immediately available for requests for comment from Reuters. Kabila had previously slammed the case against him, calling the courts ‘an instrument of oppression’. Despite the sentence, Kabila’s arrest seems unlikely. An appeal against the High Military Court’s verdict is still possible before the Court of Cassation, albeit only on grounds of a claim of procedural irregularities, not to review the merits of the case. Observers say the court’s verdict aims to remove the possibility that Kabila could unite the opposition within the country, despite his exact whereabouts being unknown. Still, many have questioned whether the decision could fuel further unrest. The ruling came after the DRC Senate voted in May to repeal Kabila’s immunity from prosecution. The country also lifted a moratorium on the death penalty last year, but no judicial executions have been carried out since.