DRC’s former presidential candidate sentenced to 7 years in prison

A high court in the Democratic Republic of Congo has sentenced former presidential candidate Jean-Marc Kabund to seven years in prison for spreading rumors and insulting the African nation's president.

Kabund is a former deputy speaker of the National Assembly and the right-hand man of President Felix Tshisekedi, who launched his political party last year after being defeated twice.

Since his arrest in August 2022, he has been detained in Kinshasa's main prison, after calling President Tshisekedi a "disaster" and criticizing his government in a speech.

"The court sentenced him to four years in prison for each offense in the first nine offenses and 16 months in each offense for the other three offences," as Kabund's lawyer Kadi Diko told Reuters news agency.

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