Dozens sentenced for role in assassination of Congo president
Last Updated: Tuesday, January 7, 2003 | 6:50 PM ET
CBC News
A military court in Congo has convicted 26 people and immediately sentenced them to death for the January 2001 assassination of the country's president, Laurent Kabila.
The condemned include a cousin of Kabila's who was the murdered leader's top aide.
Sixty-four other defendants received jail terms ranging from six months to life and 45 were exonerated.
Kabila was shot dead in his palace by one of his own bodyguards.
Laurent Kabila
Kabila took control of Congo - formerly known as Zaire - during a coup in 1997, ousting dictator Mobutu Sese Seko. Welcomed at first, Kabila eventually lost the support of his key allies, neighbouring countries Uganda and Rwanda.
Kabila's son, Joseph, assumed power after his father's death. In December, he signed a peace treaty with warring factions in Congo, promising democratic elections within two years.
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