collapse" in the prosecution case and her continued need for medical attention, Christian observers said.
Nlandu, a devoted Christian, was originally charged last December with inciting insurrection and possessing illegal firearms as well as setting fire to the Supreme Court, charges she strongly denied.
Although a civilian, Nlandu is being tried by a military tribunal in the Congolese capital Kinshasa. The military court reportedly adjourned on January 31 when three prosecution witnesses apparently admitted in court they had received money from the government to incriminate Nlandu.
When the court reconvened on February 7, the prosecution played an interview in which they believed Nlandu "had incited insurrection," said Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), an advocacy group closely monitoring the trial.
‘EVIDENCE’ QUESTIONED
"However, observers claimed that in reality the interview showed Mrs. Nlandu asking supporters of the 2006 Presidential contender, Jean Pierre Bemba, to remain calm," CSW added. To the defendants "consternation" the trial was again adjourned until February 14 and Nlandu was returned to prison, CSW said.
CSW said that "such disarray in the prosecution case will only strengthen concerns that Mrs. Nlandu has been detained for political reasons." Christian rights watchers have expressed concerns that that the government wants either a guilty verdict resulting in Nlandu’s execution, or that she dies in prison as her health is said to deteriorate.
Nlandu, a 54-year-old mother-of-four, received medical treatment in a military hospital for what was described as "a severe lung infection" contracted while in prison. Against medical advice, Nlandu was reportedly returned to Makala Prison in Kinshasa , before the course of treatment had been completed, CSW said.
“Given the collapse of the case against her, it is unacceptable that Mrs. Nlandu remain in prison, in such dire conditions and without adequate medical treatment," CSW’s Chief Executive Mervyn Thomas told BosNewsLife in a statement.
AMNESTY CONCERNED
Human rights group Amnesty International has also 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.
Last year’s first multi party elections in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as the country is called by its full name, were marred by 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 recently the men are apparently also detained and "may have been tortured or ill-treated."
CSW has urged the Congolese government "to ensure her immediate and unconditional release," and asked the country’s UN Mission and international community to remind the Congolese leadership "of its responsibility in the new democratic dispensation to respect human rights and uphold the rule of law.”
Officials did not react to the latest developments Monday, February 12. (With BosNewsLife Research and reports from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. bosnewslife.com).
