Attorney Faults Jailing of Former DRC Assembly Official

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, the lawyer for Jean-Marc Kabund says his seven-year sentence in prison is excessive. Kabund, once a deputy and former vice-president of the DRC National Assembly, was sentenced Wednesday by the country’s highest court for “insulting the head of state and the institutions of the Republic.” The sentence comes as the DRC prepares for presidential elections on December 20 in which President Felix Tshisekedi is seeking re-election. While announcing the formation of his own political party in 2022, Kabund criticized what he called “the absence of a clear vision” in DRC. Lawyer Ghislain Mwanji tells VOA’s James Butty, the seven-year sentence was given to Kabund to guarantee that President Tshisekedi can run for a second term without competition.