Congolese colonel gets 20 years in jail for rape
Source: Agencies |
February 22, 2011, Tuesday
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A CONGOLESE court sentenced an army colonel to 20 years in prison yesterday, convicting him of crimes against humanity in the highest-profile sexual violence case ever tried in this nation where thousands are brutally raped each year.
The trial held in a torridly hot makeshift courtroom in the lakeside village of Baraka marks the first time a commanding officer has been tried for such a crime.
Prosecutors had sought the death penalty for Lieutenant Colonel Mutuare Daniel Kibibi, 46, who was accused of ordering his troops to attack Fizi village on New Year's Day where doctors later treated 62 women for rape. One woman testified Kibibi raped her for 40 minutes.
As the defendants were being led away in handcuffs, hundreds of people jeered at them, booed and shook their fists. Some shouted, "Kibibi! You thought you could get away with this! Now you are going to jail!" and "You must pay for your crimes!"
Kibibi, who is married with eight children, was convicted of four counts of crimes against humanity but will serve no more than 20 years in prison. He denies all the charges and says the court testimony by his bodyguards was all part of a plot to denigrate him.
Kibibi's lawyer Alfred Maisha described his client as a "valiant hero" who had served in the army since 1984 and had put his life at risk many times in the defense of the country. Maisha said many of the soldiers under Kibibi's command were poorly trained and included former members of rebel and militia groups.
Witnesses said the soldiers descended in a fury upon the village of Fizi after residents there stoned a soldier to death who had been involved in an altercation with a local shop owner. On New Year's Day, the soldiers smashed down doors and went house-to-house, pillaging, beating and raping, from 7pm until 6am the following day.
The 49 women who testified about those attacks are to receive up to US$10,000 each in compensation from the government.
The trial held in a torridly hot makeshift courtroom in the lakeside village of Baraka marks the first time a commanding officer has been tried for such a crime.
Prosecutors had sought the death penalty for Lieutenant Colonel Mutuare Daniel Kibibi, 46, who was accused of ordering his troops to attack Fizi village on New Year's Day where doctors later treated 62 women for rape. One woman testified Kibibi raped her for 40 minutes.
As the defendants were being led away in handcuffs, hundreds of people jeered at them, booed and shook their fists. Some shouted, "Kibibi! You thought you could get away with this! Now you are going to jail!" and "You must pay for your crimes!"
Kibibi, who is married with eight children, was convicted of four counts of crimes against humanity but will serve no more than 20 years in prison. He denies all the charges and says the court testimony by his bodyguards was all part of a plot to denigrate him.
Kibibi's lawyer Alfred Maisha described his client as a "valiant hero" who had served in the army since 1984 and had put his life at risk many times in the defense of the country. Maisha said many of the soldiers under Kibibi's command were poorly trained and included former members of rebel and militia groups.
Witnesses said the soldiers descended in a fury upon the village of Fizi after residents there stoned a soldier to death who had been involved in an altercation with a local shop owner. On New Year's Day, the soldiers smashed down doors and went house-to-house, pillaging, beating and raping, from 7pm until 6am the following day.
The 49 women who testified about those attacks are to receive up to US$10,000 each in compensation from the government.
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