her life late Wednesday, January 10, in a Congolese prison amid fears she may be executed, Christian supporters said.
Nlandu, a mother-of-four, was charged December 11 with "inciting insurrection and possessing illegal firearms," despite an apparent lack of evidence, said advocacy group Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) in a statement to BosNewsLife. If found guilty, Nlandu could face execution.
"She was charged with crimes linked to an attack" on Congo’s Supreme Court on November 21,
although it "occurred while she was already in police custody," CSW recalled.
Other investigators have linked the "insurrection" charge to an impromptu speech Nlandu made to supporters of presidential candidate Jean-Pierre Bemba in which she reportedly urged them to exercise their right to protest, but "in a disciplined way"
"PRISONER OF CONSCIENCE"
Human rights group Amnesty International has questioned the motivation behind her detention saying she is "a prisoner of conscience, detained solely for pursuing her legitimate professional activities as a lawyer and for her peaceful political views," including contesting the recent presidential elections.
The two rounds of the Central African nation’s first multiparty vote in decades on July 30 and October 29 were marred by outbreaks of violence and a sharp increase in politically-motivated human rights violations, observers like Nlandu concluded.
She was among those challenging the second-round results announced on November 15, which
gave incumbent President Joseph Kabila 58 per cent of the vote and his rival Jean-Pierre Bemba, 42 per cent. Marie-Therese Nlandu had herself stood as a presidential candidate but after her elimination in the first round of voting, her political party switched its support to Jean-Pierre Bemba’s candidacy.
Nlandu was reportedly detained when visiting security service headquarters in Kinshasa to enquire as to the whereabouts of her six male colleagues. Amnesty International said the men are apparently also detained and "may have been tortured or ill-treated."
MILITARY TRIBUNAL TRIAL
Although a civilian, she was due to appear before a military tribunal on January 3, but the hearing was postponed until January 24 due to her poor health, CSW said.
Since her detention, Nlandu briefly received medical treatment in a military hospital for what was described as "a severe lung infection" contracted while in prison. Against medical advice, "Mrs. Nlandu was returned to Makala Prison [in] Kinshasa , before the course of treatment had been completed," CSW reported. Her health was reportedly deteriorating Wednesday, January 10, due to poor conditions of her incarceration.
CSW quoted unidentified sources as expressing fears that political forces want Nlandu to die in prison as little appears to have been done to aid her condition. "By denying adequate medical treatment to Mrs. Nlandu, the Democratic Republic of the Congo is in violation of its obligation under Article 10 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to treat all prisoners with humanity and dignity," warned CSW’s Chief Executive Mervyn Thomas.
He said his group has urged the European Union to hold Congo accountable "for any breach of the principles of human rights, democracy and the rule of law." CSW also urged the Congolese authorities to ensure that Nlandu is granted immediate access to medical care and receives a fair trial before a civilian court "so that accusations of political meddling can be laid to rest." (With BosNewsLife Research, BosNewsLife News Center and reports from the Democratic Republic of the Congo).
