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Six men have been sentenced to life imprisonment by a military tribunal in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, for the murder of Italy's ambassador in 2021. Originally, public prosecutors had sought the death penalty for the accused, who were referred to as members of a "criminal gang." The attack took place on February 22, 2021, when a UN convoy was ambushed in the troubled east of the DRC, resulting in the deaths of Ambassador Luca Attanasio, driver Mustapha Milambo, and Italian police officer Vittorio Iacovacci. The six Congolese men have denied any wrongdoing, claiming their initial confessions were obtained through torture. Their lawyers have said they will appeal the life sentences. One of the accused is still on the run, while the other five are being held in prison in Kinshasa. The prosecution had previously alleged that the defendants planned to kidnap the ambassador and demand a $1 million ransom. The military tribunal also ordered the payment of damages equivalent to $2 million to Italy in Congolese francs. Despite a de facto moratorium on capital punishment since 2003, courts in the DRC continue to impose death sentences. The eastern DRC is plagued by armed groups, many of which emerged during regional wars in the late 1990s and early 2000s, and attacks against civilians are frequent.
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