DRC tribunal sentences 25 soldiers to death for ‘fleeing the enemy’
Al Jazeera
Military court in Butembo set up as part of crackdown on soldiers fleeing M23 rebels as fighting rages in the east.
Twenty-five soldiers accused of fleeing fighting against M23 rebels in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have been sentenced to death.
The Butembo military court in North Kivu province handed the sentences down on Wednesday, deeming them guilty of fleeing the enemy, dissipation of war munitions and violation of orders.
“I find them guilty and sentence each of them to death,” said Colonel Kabeya Ya Hanu, president of the military court.
The tribunal was set up close to the scene of recent clashes between the Congolese army and M23 fighters with the aim of discouraging soldiers from fleeing the front line.
A total of 31 defendants, including 27 soldiers and four of their civilian wives, appeared before the military court during the one-day trial, said Jules Muvweko, one of the defence lawyers.
