By RFIPosted on 12-10-2019Modified on 12-10-2019 at 20:55

In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), NGO Justicia ASBL is demanding the release of the 36 political prisoners languishing in the prisons of Ndolo, Kinshasa, and Kasapa, Lubumbashi. Among these prisoners are followers of Pastor Joseph Mukungubila, arrested in 2013.

In its latest statement issued in Lubumbashi, the human rights NGO would like to see political restraint measures - initiated by President Felix Tshisekedi - extend to all political prisoners. This reaction comes after the delivery of the Congolese passport to the opponent Salomon Idi, a close friend of Moïse Katumbi .

Of the 36 prisoners and followers of Joseph Mukungubila , 16 are being held at Kasapa prison in Lubumbashi. Arrested in 2013, they were sentenced in 2015 to 20 years in prison for murder, criminal involvement and illegal possession of weapons.

Master Guy Mbuya, their lawyer, assures that his clients are political prisoners.

" All my clients were initially prosecuted for participating in the so-called Pasteur Mukungubila movement, which aimed to undermine the institutions of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Today we are in the Tshisekedi government. I believe that all these political prisoners must be released for the easing of the political climate , "he says.

In Lubumbashi, the followers of Joseph Mukungubila were surprised on the evening of December 30, 2013 by the army and the police during a prayer session. Six years later, Françoise speaks tears in her eyes. Her husband is one of the detainees at Kasapa Prison.

" We were accused of possessing weapons, but we never found anything on us. The judicial authorities, whose mission is to investigate, must go all the way. Let our husbands be released so that they come and take care of their children, "she calls.

For the moment, the appeal file of these detainees is before the military court of Lubumbashi. Joseph Mukungubila, a candidate for the 2006 presidential elections, is currently in exile in South Africa.

    On the same subject

    Political prisoners in the DRC: announced releases are long overdue

    DRC: Felix Tshisekedi reiterates his promise to release political prisoners

    DRC: no release for prisoners Diomi and Muyambo

    Release of prisoners in the DRC: "easing measures" for the government

    comments