Kinshasa, 28 April 2009 - Alan Doss, Special Representative of the UN Secretary General of the United Nations in the DRC, greets the decisions last week, of the military garrison court of Goma that sat in an open audience in Walikale, North Kivu province.

The court has, during four separate lawsuits, found 20 soldiers of the DRC Armed Forces (FARDC) guilty of crimes against humanity, rape and armed robbery, condemning them to various sentences including the death penalty, life and 15 years in prison.

"It is a step in the right direction," said Alan Doss. "These decisions show that the fight against impunity is making progress, that the effort for the restoration of discipline within the FARDC advances, and that gradually the restoration of State authority must become a reality".

He also expressed the wish that many the other pending cases will not remain untreated.

MONUC's Human Rights section observed the course of the four lawsuits during which the conditions of a fair trial were met, and guarantees of the rights of defence were largely respected.

The Office of the United Nations for Human rights gave its logistic and financial support to the North Kivu Military Justice system by covering the transport costs of the defendants to Hombo and Walikale centres (approximately 100km from Goma) and payed the costs of the lawyer hired to defend the interests of the victims.

The Special Representative "greets the efforts and diligence of the military justice of Goma in the course and results of these lawsuits, and encourages the legal authorities to proceed in this way in the future."

Alan Doss "hopes that this prompt sanction of the authors of serious violations of human rights will mark the beginning of a new era, and will be a powerful dissuading factor for FARDC soldiers to commit other crimes that violate human rights."