Congo sentences six to life in prison for Italian envoy's death
Hello #Deepdives platform! The Congolese government and justice system have proven the worth of equity in the legal system.
In 2021 the then Italian Envoy Luca Attanasio was kidnapped alongside two others in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) city of Goma and since then investigations have been ongoing to determine the culprits of the ugly incident. The ugly incident happened while they were on their way to the World Food Programme project from the eastern city of Goma.
According to Boniface, a lawyer representing Italy, five people who were sentenced to life in prison were already in prison prior to the sentencing, while one was sentenced in absentia.
"On the day when justice took its course, we celebrate the shining example and commitment of Luca, Vittorio and Moussa (Mustapha)," the Italian embassy in Kinshasa tweeted.
In cases like this it's pertinent justice took it's course. Apart from the fact that it's the right thing to do, it'll also stabilize and improve the relationship between the two nations.
At the time, Congo's presidency said six armed men had intercepted the two-car convoy on the road, killed Milambo and led six passengers away.
Army and park rangers tracked the group and a firefight ensued during which the kidnappers shot the two Italians.
Congolese police said last year they had detained members of a group linked to those killings and other kidnappings of charity workers.
Eastern Congo and other East African states have proven to be areas of intensed violence and this has led to the rise in kidnapping as well as other crimes against humanity. Kidnappings and attacks on aid convoys, once relatively rare, are on the rise, United Nations and humanitarian organisations have warned.
After the ugly incident, the envoy and the other Italian bodies were taken to Italy while Milambo was buried in Goma.
The sentencing to me is very important because it'll serve as deterrence to others who might have such intentions in the future. This sentencing is also seen as justice per excellent and the Congolese judiciary should upheld the tenets of delivering the right justice in all ramifications.