A Congolese military court sentenced Edouard Mwangachuchu, a popular congressman representing the Masisi constituency, to death on accusations of treason and alleged connection with the M23 rebel movement, in a very disputed ruling.
Mr Mwangachuchu, who also owns a mining company, was convicted of unlawful weapon possession, treason, and involvement in the M23 insurgency.
While the death sentence is routinely applied in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, no one has been executed in over two decades, and it is usually reduced to life imprisonment. The public prosecutor had requested a life sentence for the 70-year-old politician at first.
Notably, Mr Mwangachuchu was absent during the sentencing, which has drawn criticism from his lawyer, Thomas Gamakolo, who claims that the trial was tainted by “ethnic hatred and deductions.”
He argued that Mr Mwangachuchu was unfairly presumed guilty due to his Tutsi ethnicity and emphasised that there was no concrete evidence linking his client to Rwanda.
The M23 militia, led by Tutsi leaders, has gained control over parts of Congo’s North Kivu province since resurfacing in 2021. This has led to allegations from independent U.N. experts, the Kinshasa government, and several Western nations, including the United States and France, accusing Rwanda of actively supporting the M23 movement. Kigali vehemently denies these accusations.
In a surprising turn of events, Mr Mwangachuchu’s co-defendant, Robert Muchamalirwa, a police captain charged with “violation of orders,” was acquitted by the court, with an immediate order for his release.
As tensions escalate over the verdict, the case of Mr Mwangachuchu continues to stoke controversy, highlighting ethnic divisions within the region.