DR Congo: Court to decide Nkunda's fate

  1. Posted on Thursday 12 March 2009 - 10:48
    Mforgham
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    Solomon Tembang Mforgham, AfricaNews reporter in Limbe, Cameroon
    A Rwandan court is expected to rule on possibly releasing Democratic Republic of Congo renegade army general Laurent Nkunda after he was arrested crossing the Congo border into Rwanda.
    Laurent Nkunda
    According to Nkunda's lawyer, Kigali has flouted its constitution by remanding the former rebel leader in prison for at least 45 days without putting him on trial.

    He is also quoted as saying his client was illegally arrested and that it was illegal for the rebel leader to be on Rwanda's soil. The lawyer is also quoted as saying Rwandan authorities have so far failed to inform the rebel leader's family about his whereabouts or his condition after his arrest.

    He called on Rwanda to immediately release the rebel leader or put him to justice. He contended that ongoing negotiations between Kigali and Kinshasa over the extradition of Nkunda have no basis in law.

    Meanwhile, DR Congo has indicted the rebel leader for war crimes after leading the National Congress for People's Defense (CNDP) rebel forces that often clashed with the national army in restive North Kivu province.

    There are ongoing negotiations between Kigali and Kinshasa over a possible extradition of the renegade army general.

    Quoting the Lawyer, Jean Bosco Gasasira, editor of Umuvugizi Independent Newspaper told the VOA; "He was saying that since Kigali has suspended the death penalty, the rebel leader should be either prosecuted there or sent somewhere else, saying that the Democratic Republic of Congo has so far not suspended the death sentence, which the attorney said once found guilty the rebel leader will be put to death. He therefore called on Kigali to withhold Kinshasa's request to extradite the former rebel leader to Congo."

    "It is like a cat and mouse game in the courtroom because the lawyers representing the Rwanda government were saying that they don't know and are not competent enough to talk about where the rebel leader is.”

    “Nkunda's lawyer, on the other hand, told the court as well as the media that he had tried all he could, including the Rwandan authorities, about his client's whereabouts, but they all claimed they don't know where the rebel leader is being held,” Gasasira said.

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