The family of slained Ensemble pour la République spokesperson Chérubin Okende has rejected an attempt by President Felix Tshisekedi’s agents to conduct an autopsy in the absence of independent observers.
The family and its lawyers were caught by surprise on Wednesday whem they informed abruptly about an autopsy authorities planned to carry out.
Okende, widely believed to have been killed by state agents on instructions from Tshisekedi, was found dead in his car with his body riddled with bullets on July 13, 2023.
The opposition Ensemble whose officials are under threat from Tshisekedi while some are imprisoned on flimsy grounds has demanded that an independent investigation involving America, Britain, Canada and Belgium, among others be conducted.
Civil society and the international community have also backed calls for a thorough investigation.
The family has also agreed to calls for an independent investigation and have since commenced litigation.
“In the interest of all those who say they have nothing to hide, the autopsy of the body of Mr. Chérubin Okende cannot be carried out without the presence of experts from Monusco and independent forensic pathologists.
“The government has promised the world an independent investigation with the participation of foreign experts. We all want it,” a source close to the development has disclosed.
More than 10 days after Okende was killed hours after he was kidnapped at the Constitutional Court in Kinshasa, there’s very little movement in the investigations fueling confirmation about Tshisekedi’s involvement.
