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2024-03-17 Africa Subsaharan
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Congo reinstates the death penalty after more than 20 years
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[AFRICANEWS] Congo has lifted a more than two-decade-old moratorium on the death penalty as authorities struggle to curb violence and militant attacks in the country, according to a justice ministry statement released on Friday.
The statement, dated earlier this week, said the ban from 2003 allowed offenders accused of treason and espionage to get away without proper punishment.
Eastern Congo has been riddled by conflict for decades, linked to more than 120 armed groups fighting for land and power and in some cases, protecting their communities.
The government said the violence in the east has plagued the country with recurrent conflict and resulted in a surge of attacks that have spread terror among the communities.
In recent years, the M23 rebel group
| …the M23 rebels are more formally known as the March 23 Movement, and sometimes as the Congolese Revolutionary Army. Founded in 2012 as a Rwandan Tutsi sock puppet, which no doubt seemed a good idea at the time, in less than a year the Congolese army defeated them, and then Rwanda publicly stepped back in response to international pressure. M23 started acting up again in late 2022, again at Rwandan instigation... |
— the most dominant in the region with alleged links to neighboring Rwanda — has continued to attack villages, forcing many to flee to Goma, the region’s largest city. M23 has laid siege to several communities with about half of North Kivu province under its control.
The violence in the province has worsened in recent weeks as security forces battle the rebels. Residents have said the group’s fighters mostly launch attack with bombs out of hills overlooking remote towns.
In its statement, the justice ministry said capital punishment will be reserved for offenders involved in criminal conspiracies, armed gangs, insurrection — and also those who commit treason and war crimes. It will also be applied to the military, including those who rebel or desert and join enemy ranks.
Rights groups have condemned the decision, calling it a step back for the country.
“This initiative is against the constitution," said Jean-Claude Katende, president of the African Association for Human Rights. “We don’t think that capital punishment and the execution of this sentence are appropriate measures to restore order.”
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Posted by Fred 2024-03-17 2024-03-17 00:45||
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