Ten prisoners in DR Congo sentenced for mass rapes in jail
Thirty-seven women and a teenage girl testified that they were repeatedly raped during a three-day riot at Kasapa Central Prison near Lubumbashi in 2020.Some female detainees became pregnant and contracted sexually transmitted infections, including HIV.
The ten men were fined and ordered to serve 15 additional years in jail.Although some of the inmates were too frightened to give evidence, dozens testified before a military prosecutor that they had been raped during the riot.
Melanie Mumba, a lawyer for the victims, told the AFP news agency: "We are satisfied with the verdict, after a long struggle to gain justice".A group of male inmates took over the run-down prison facility for several days in September 2020.
They set the women's section of the prison on fire with female detainees, including a 16-year-old girl forced to sleep in a prison yard where they were subjected to sexual assaults.Some 20 inmates and a prison guard were reportedly killed before security forces regained control during the violence.
The mass rapes were highlighted in Human Rights Watch (HRW) reports, urging authorities to investigate the assaults and offer adequate care to those impacted.
The campaign group said the prison, built to house 800 inmates, had almost 2,000 people in detention during the incident. It said poor hygiene, sanitation, and healthcare were all reported at the facility, with repeated warnings a riot would break out, reportedly ignored by senior officials.
Thomas Fessy, the senior DR Congo researcher at HRW, told the BBC that the prosecution of 10 inmates "should only be seen as a first step".
"Of the 56 female detainees in prison at the time of the riot, 37 women and a teenage girl testified to Lubumbashi's public prosecutor that male inmates had raped them and every perpetrator should be held accountable for these acts," he said in an emailed statement.
Mr Fessy also said the Congolese state had "failed to protect and provide safety" for inmates during the incident.
Noella Bashizi, a defence lawyer for the accused, told the AFP news agency she would consult her clients about whether to appeal against the sentences given on Wednesday.
HRW reported in 2021 that at least seven detainees, including a 16-year-old girl, became pregnant amid the unrest acting lawyers for the victims put the number of pregnancies at 16.
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