Muslim worshippers at the stadium in Kinshasa. — AFP picKINSHASA , May 16 — Thirty people were sentenced to death in the Democratic Republic of Congo yesterday for their role in anti-police violence marking the end of Ramadan in the capital Kinshasa.
A summary of a cabinet meeting yesterday also referred to the death of an 81-year-old woman in hospital following the violence. A total of 38 people who had been arrested appeared at Friday’s trial. The trial was broadcast live on public television and lasted until the early hours of yesterday.A lawyer for civil parties, Chief Tshipamba, told AFP 30 people were sentenced to death and a recording of the proceedings obtained by AFP confirmed the verdict.
Two rival factions have for years disputed the leadership of the DRC’s Comico Muslim federation. While the case remains before the courts, the two sides remain at odds and occasionally come to blows.But the capital Kinshasa, which sits on the Congo river in the west of the vast central African country, also traditionally sees mass celebrations for the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan in public squares and on major roads.
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