A Military Court Sitting In The Democratic Republic Of Congo Has Sentenced The Head Of The Elite Republican Guard In Goma, Mike Mikombe, To Death Over The August Killing Of Protesters In The Eastern City.
The Death Penalty Is Often Handed Down In The Democratic Republic Of Congo, But Has Not Been Applied For 20 Years.
The Defendants’ Lawyers Said They Will Appeal The Decision, While Two Others Standing Trial Were Acquitted.
Mikombe, Suggested In Court That He Had Been Misled By An Operational Order Identifying The Sect Members As Proxies Of Rebels And The Rwandan Army.
The Six Soldiers Had Been On Trial Since September 5 Over The Deadly Crackdown Against A Religious Sect That Called For Demonstrations Against The United Nations’ Presence In Eastern Drc.
