DRC: The High Council of the Judiciary condemns the murder of a magistrate in Lubumbashi

Kinshasa, September 22 nd, 2026 (CPA). – The High Council of the Judiciary has condemned in the strongest possible terms the murder of magistrate Vincent Muana, President of the Court of Appeal of Haut-Katanga in Lubumbashi (south-west of the Democratic Republic ofth to Monday, September st, 2026,the Congo), during the night of Sunday, September 2120according to a statement consulted on Tuesday by CPA. “The High Council of the Judiciary condemns in the strongest possible terms this heinous act, which has claimed the life of a senior magistrate whilst he was carrying out his duties, and expresses its deep concern at the rise in acts of violence targeting members of the judiciary,” it is read in the statement signed by Telesphore Nduba, Permanent Secretary of the High Council of the Judiciary.According to the same source, the sudden death of this magistrate is a painful loss for the Congolese judiciary and requires the relevant authorities to launch thorough investigations without delay in order to establish the exact circumstances of this tragedy, identify the perpetrators, their possible accomplices and instigators, and bring them before the competent courts. This same source has also called on the authorities responsible for public security to take all necessary measures to strengthen the security and protection of magistrates and their homes, so as to enable them to carry out their duties in conditions of safety and peace of mind. “In these painful circumstances, the High Council of the Judiciary extends its deepest condolences to the immediate family of the distinguished deceased, to his loved ones and to all judicial staff in Haut-Katanga and throughout the Republic,” the source has reported. Furthermore, the source has also indicated that the High Council of theJudiciary is reopening discussions on the carrying of small-calibre firearms, a right grantedto magistrates under Article 19, point 5 of Organic Law No. 06/020 of October 10 th, 2006, onthe status of magistrates, as amended by the Law of August 1 st, 2015, and is calling on the competent authorities to streamline procedures so that this provision may be implementedas soon as possible, as this weapon for personal self-defence could have a definite deterrenteffect. Finally, he strongly reiterates his support for the protection of human life, the physical and moral integrity of magistrates, the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary in accordance with the Constitution and the laws of the Republic, the source has concluded. ACP/