A military court in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has sentenced former president Joseph Kabila to death in absentia, convicting him on charges of treason and war crimes. The verdict, delivered on september 30, 2025, marks a stunning development in a country that has recently reinstated capital punishment and carried out hundreds of death sentences amid escalating conflict and crime.
Kabila, who led the DRC from 2001 to 2019, was found guilty of treason, war crimes, and crimes against humanity, including murder and torture. Prosecutors in Kinshasa accused him of organizing an insurrection and providing support to the March 23 Movement (M23), a rebel group that has seized significant territory in the country's volatile eastern provinces of North Kivu and South Kivu.
The former president, whose current whereabouts are unconfirmed but who is believed to have resided in South Africa since 2023, was tried in absentia. He has previously denied the allegations, with his supporters criticizing the trial as politically motivated.
The sentence against Kabila is the most high-profile case since the DRC government lifted a 21-year moratorium on the death penalty in march 2024. The government justified the decision as a necessary measure to combat escalating violence and instability, particularly from armed militants like the M23. The reinstated policy applies the death penalty to crimes such as treason, espionage, war crimes, and armed banditry.
Since lifting the unofficial ban, there has been a dramatic increase in the use of capital punishment. According to Amnesty International, military courts have handed down at least 300 death sentences since march 2024. These have targeted a range of individuals, including soldiers accused of cowardice and alleged members of armed groups.
The policy has led to a resumption of state-sanctioned executions for the first time since 2003. In january 2025, reports emerged that 102 individuals convicted of armed robbery, referred to as "urban bandits," were executed at the Angenga prison. An additional 70 prisoners were reportedly slated for execution at the time.
The return to capital punishment has been met with fierce condemnation from human rights organizations. Amnesty International has described the move as a "callous disregard for human rights" and expressed grave concerns over the fairness of the trials, many of which are conducted in military courts. The organization has called on president Félix Tshisekedi to halt all planned executions, warning that the country’s flawed justice system could lead to the execution of innocent people.
While some officials and citizens view the harsh measures as a necessary response to rampant crime and armed conflict, critics argue it represents a severe regression for human rights in the DRC and fails to address the root causes of the nation's instability. The death sentence against a former head of state, though symbolic while he remains in exile, underscores the turbulent political climate and the government's aggressive new stance on crime and dissent.