Jean-Marc Kabund, an opposition figure in DRC, was on Wednesday sentenced to seven years in jail for slandering the president as pre-electoral tensions sharpen in the Central African nation. A former head of the Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS), the party of Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi, Jean-Marc Kabund is a deputy and former vice-president of the National Assembly. Jean-Marc’s arrest came a month after he quit the ruling party to join the opposition. He added that the verdict pronounced by the Court of Cassation in the first and last Instance is not subject to appeal. President Tshisedeki, in power since January 2019, is a candidate for a second five-year term.

Source: Daily Nation September 14, 2023 18:03 UTC