Former presidential party leader Jean-Marc Kabund was sentenced to seven years in jail on Wednesday for “insulting the head of state” in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
This punishment is longer than the public prosecutor’s proposal of three years in jail.
The Court of Cassation concluded that “all of the offenses for which Mr. Kabund was prosecuted were established,” according to Mr. Kaddy Ditou. According to the lawyer, she imposed “an accumulation of sentences” and condemned him to “84 months of main penal servitude, equivalent to 7 years” in jail.
Among these charges are “insulting the Head of State,” “insulting the Head of State and the institutions of the Republic,” and “propagation of false rumors,” she stated at the end of the closed-door session.
“It’s a very severe sentence,” the lawyer stated. This ruling, rendered by the Court of Cassation in first and final instance, is not appealable.
Jean-Marc Kabund is a member of the National Assembly and a former vice-president of the Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS), the party of Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi. He was arrested on August 9, 2022, and has since been incarcerated in Makala, Kinshasa’s main jail.
Mr. Kabund, in announcing the formation of his own party, “Alliance for Change,” in July 2022, criticized “the lack of a clear vision,” as well as “the notorious incompetence and institutionalized mismanagement characterized by carelessness, irresponsibility, enjoyment, and predation at the top of the State.” Remarks that he made throughout his trial.
Relatives and members of Mr. Kabund’s party who were present near the Court of Cassation thought it was a “political” trial, given general elections are slated on December 20. President Tshisekedi, who has been in charge since January 2019, is running for a second five-year term.
This conviction comes at a tense pre-election period. In recent months, there has been an uptick in the number of arrests of opposition politicians and journalists.
According to his lawyer, another opponent, Salomon Kalonda (detained since May 30), a key advisor to presidential contender Mose Katumbi, was transported Tuesday evening from the Ndolo military jail to a health center.
Journalist Stanis Bujakera, a correspondent for Jeune Afrique in particular, has been imprisoned in Kinshasa since Friday, accused of “spreading false rumors.”
