Eight people were sentenced to death on 13 September, after being convicted of plotting to overthrow the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in early 2001. Amnesty International is concerned that they may soon be executed if they are not granted a presidential pardon. Virtually all those tried are known to have been tortured in order to force them to implicate themselves or other co-defendants. They were also denied access to lawyers before their trial.
