The treason trial of former President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo has begun in a military court in the capital Kinshasa.
He also faces other charges, including murder and rape, related to his alleged support for the M23 rebels, who controls much of the country’s mineral-rich areas. He denied the charges and did not appear at the hearing.
Kabila’s successor Félix Tshisekedi accused him of being the brain behind the rebels.
The former president rejected the case as “arbitrary” and said the court was used as a “mean of oppression.”
A ceasefire agreement between the rebels and the government was agreed last week, but the battle continued.
Kabila lived for two years, but arrived in May from South Africa’s self-imposed exiles to rebel-controlled Goma.
Pointing overwhelming evidence, the United Nations and several Western countries accused neighbor Rwanda of supporting the M23 and sent its thousands of soldiers to the Congo Doctor. But Kigali denied the allegations, saying it was an action to prevent the conflict from spilling over into its territory.
In May, the House of Lords of the Legislature canceled Mr. Kabila’s immunity as a senator for life to allow him to prosecute, including treason, murder, participation in an uprisingist movement and forced occupation of Goma.
The 53-year-old led a Congo doctorate for 18 years after he succeeded his father, Laurent, who was shot in 2001. Joseph Kabila was only 29 years old at the time.
After the controversial elections in 2019, he handed over the power to President Félix Tshisekedi, but they later stood out.
In a now-deleted YouTube video released in May, Kabila slammed the Congolese government, calling it a “dictatorship” and said the country had a “decline of democracy.”
At the time, Congolese government spokesman Patrick Muyaya rejected Kabila’s allegations, saying he “had nothing to offer the country.”
Ferdinand Kambere, a close ally of Kabila, served in his now-banned PPRD party, accusing the government of “double standards.” It was too soft, but too hard for Kabila, he said, adding that the trial was a way to exclude Kabila from the country’s politics.
But as the trial began, Congo’s Deputy Attorney General Samuel Mbemba had harsh words to any critic.
“Justice cannot negotiate, nor participate in dialogue. The calendar of justice is different from the political calendar.”
Other reports by Damian Zane and Cecilia Macaulay
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