The High Military Court of the Democratic Republic of Congo has upheld, on appeal, the death penalty against 54 defendants for war crimes in connection with the murder of two United Nations experts, thus increasing the sentences handed down in the first instance, where 49 convictions had been upheld.
American Michael Sharp and Swedish-Chilean Zaida Catalan were killed in March 2017 while investigating violence in Kasai-Central province, following the Kamwina Nsapu militia uprising, which was suppressed by security forces.
Those convicted include combatants who carried out the executions as well as high-ranking military personnel, such as Colonel Jean de Dieu Mambweni, whose conviction was upheld on appeal. According to the case file, the two experts were intercepted on March 12, 2017, while conducting an investigation into the violence in Kasai. They were allegedly taken to a remote area before being executed.
This decision brings to a close nearly nine years of legal proceedings. However, it does not completely close the case. The National Human Rights Commission (CNDH) believes that those who ordered the attack have not been apprehended and calls for continued investigations to establish the entire chain of responsibility.
The families of the victims believe that this verdict represents an important but insufficient step, as the full truth about the circumstances and the masterminds behind the double murder still remains to be established.
