Death sentences in DR Congo coup trial spark outcry at home and abroad

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00:00In the Democratic Republic of Congo, a series of death sentences in a recent coup trials causing

00:05a stir both in and out of the country. 37 people, including six Westerners, have been condemned to

00:12death in connection to a failed coup back in May. The affairs also opened up the debate on the use

00:17of the death penalty. Our Emmett Livingston tells us more.

00:21The sentencing to death of 37 people in DR Congo is causing a diplomatic stir.

00:32Belgium's foreign minister expressed her deep concern following the recent condemnation of

00:36Belgian citizen Jean-Jacques Wando in connection to a failed coup on May 19th. Wando is a security

00:42expert who worked for DR Congo's intelligence agency. Congolese authorities accuse him of

00:46being the mastermind behind the coup attempt, but his lawyers argue that the evidence is

00:50extremely flimsy. The Belgian minister called her Congolese counterpart to discuss the case

00:54and also summoned the Congolese ambassador. The European Union said that it condemned the death

00:59penalties handed down. It also stressed the right to a fair defense and said that the rule of law

01:03was on the back foot in DR Congo. Three Americans, one British citizen and a Canadian have also been

01:09condemned. The rest of those sentenced to death are Congolese. The verdict has triggered a reaction

01:14from Congolese rights group The Voice for the Voiceless.

01:18We are very, very worried because this sentence is extreme. Because apart from the death penalty,

01:26there are many other sentences that can be applied in certain circumstances.

01:33But in this case, it feels like the death penalty is being handed down lightly. That's why,

01:40in the interest of DRC, we have asked the Congolese authorities to commute this death

01:46sentence to life imprisonment. DR Congo had long maintained a moratorium on capital punishment,

01:52with death penalties automatically commuted to life imprisonment. But the government lifted this

01:57moratorium in March, citing the need to deter traitors in the army and urban delinquents.

02:02Since the moratorium has been lifted, some 80 people have been sentenced to death. No one has

02:06yet been executed, but rights groups fear that death penalties could be carried out in the future.

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