DRC Court Upholds Rape Convictions of 19 Police, Soldiers

BUKAVU, D.R.C. - A Congolese military court has upheld the rape convictions of eight policemen and 11 soldiers, a court official told AFP Tuesday. 

The judgment, which was handed down on Monday, means they will serve between 12 months and 20 years in jail.  The rapes were committed mainly against minors, according to the court in South Kivu province, in the troubled far east of the Democratic Republic of Congo.  The defendants were also ordered to pay damages and interest, sources said.