At least 29 Muslims have been sentenced to death for clashes over the Eid prayers in the Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC, which left one policeman dead and dozens injured.
The trial in the aftermath of the clashes which erupted last Thursday in the capital, Kinshasa, between two Muslim groups over who should lead the Eid prayers, was televised live.
49 people have also been arrested in Kinshasa, outside the Martyrs’ Stadium.
While the death penalty is currently not being implemented in the DRC, people will instead spend years in prison.
Authorities say during a clash between two rival Muslim factions over who should lead the Eid prayers at the end of the fast, one policeman was killed, dozens injured and several others had complications as a result of their injuries.
There has been a long-running dispute over the leadership of the Muslim Brotherhood in this part of the DRC between the two rival factions.
Prior to the clashes, leaders of the two groups had assured the authorities in the Kinshasa, that Eid prayers would be held peacefully, but violence later erupted.
During the clashes, police used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse people gathered for Eid prayers, after the clashes erupted.
31 others were convicted, while two were sentenced to five years in prison.
Given the speed with which the case is being handled, there is a strong sense of doubt about the fairness of the case.
About 10 percent of the population of Congo (Kinshasa) is Muslim and mostly in the eastern part of the country
However, Kinshasa, in the western part of the Central African Republic, also has a large number of Muslims celebrating the end of Ramadan, on the city’s main streets and in public squares.
