President Félix Tshisekedi of Democratic Republic of Congo has defended the lifting of moratorium on death penalty arguing that it will be the best way to deal with traitors and infiltration in the country’s army.
The Congolese leader currently visiting France said during an interview with the press that the Congolese parliament took the decision, although controversial, to lift the moratorium on the death penalty.
“Although the Democratic Republic of Congo wants to be resolutely committed to respect for human rights and to the rule of law, it cannot afford the luxury of any passivity when its security and that of its population is threatened,” said Tshisekedi.
According to him, “the ultimate objective pursued remains the guarantee of the security and well-being of all Congolese citizens while respecting international standards in terms of human rights and justice”.
Tshisekedi said that the lifting of the moratorium on the death penalty will apply, in particular, to soldiers accused of treason against the nation.
According to the government, the reinstatement of executions aims to “rid our country’s army of traitors and to stem the resurgence of acts of terrorism and urban banditry leading to human deaths”, said Rose Mutombo, the Minister of Justice.
The poor performance of the Congolese army and its auxiliary militias in the face of the advancing M23 has fueled suspicions among the authorities of infiltration of the security forces.
It is in this context that the High Defense Council requested to the Head of State to consider reinstatement of the death penalty to punish traitors.
Since mid-March, DRC government has opted to reinstate the death penalty. While human rights organizations immediately denounced this decision, Kinshasa considers it a firm and determined “appropriate” response to put an end to treachery within the army.
