Democratic Republic of the Congo - September 2025

On 30 September, a military court in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) sentenced the country’s former president Joseph Kabila to death and fined him USD 33 billion, having found him guilty of treason, war crimes and organising an insurrection. The case relates to his alleged support to the M23 rebel group operating in the east of the DRC, and the political-military movement of which it is a part, Alliance Fleuve Congo (Congo River Alliance, AFC). However, Kabila has always denied the charges and many observers perceived the proceedings to be highly politicised, and judged the charges and sentences to be exaggerated, raising due process concerns. Chief among these was the fact that Kabila, who was tried in absentia, was not represented by legal counsel. While the death sentence is unlikely to be carried out (Kabila is living in exile), human rights experts warned that the trial is likely to have a chilling effect on the political opposition in the DRC.     

Sources: Jeune Afrique, British Broadcasting Corporation (1), Human Rights Watch, British Broadcasting Corporation (2), International IDEA