The government in the Democratic Republic of Congo have issued a formal court notice against American tech-giants Apple Inc whom they accuse of illegal exploitation of minerals in the eastern part of the country.
This move comes barely a fortnight after the US Federal Court of Appeal threw out Felix Tshisekedi and his government lawyers’ legal action taken against giant-tech companies Apple, Google, Tesla, Microsoft and Dell for the same allegations.
The new initiative to sue the giant tech companies comes after meeting held in Kinshasa between the Minister of Communication and Media and government lawyers William Bourdon and Peter Salas.
The lawyers, after another meeting with Tshisekedi, explained to the press on Thursday that this legal action had been initiated in the United States and France to make Apple responsible for the use of minerals whose extraction is linked to conflicts and human rights violations, fueled in particular by regional tensions with Rwanda.
“It is crucial to demonstrate the bloody impact of this exploitation on the final products. Apple, like other multinationals, must be held responsible,” said Robert Amsterdam and William Bourdon.
They hope this legal action will push the company to reconsider its sources of supply which they have previously proved not to have been sourced from the DR Congo.
This case comes in an indirect concept to cite Rwandan President Paul Kagame whom Tshisekedi falsely accuses to be one of the beneficiaries of illegally extracted minerals.
