Dr Joseph Kanku Pinganay was sentenced to death on 28 January 1997 by a court martial sitting in the northern Zairian town of Kisangani, after being found guilty of espionage. He was charged with revealing government forces positions to members of the armed opposition, Alliance des forces democratiques pour la liberation du Congo-Zaire (AFDL). He is a doctor and the leader of a political party known as the Mouvement pour le redressement national et la radiation du chomage (MRNRC). He has been given 24 hours to lodge an appeal, and is reported to have been represented by legal counsel during the trial.
