A civil court in Congo handed down another death sentence to two young Norwegian men charged with murdering their taxi driver last year. Foreign Ministry officials will try to get the men extradited home to Norway.
Joshua French and Tjostolv Moland have been held in a military prison in Kisangani since fleeing the murder scene and being arrested after a few days of running through the jungle. They deny they shot their driver, and claimed they fled because they feared no one would understand their explanation in English.
Their case has received widespread publicity in Norway and now the defendants seem to be pinning their hopes on extradition. Their defense lawyer has hinted that they may not appeal their latest death sentences, which would then result in convictions and clear the way for extradition negotiations.
Norway has no death penalty, but the Foreign Ministry told Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) on Thursday that it would try to win permission from officials in Congo to have the Norwegians serve a sentence in a Norwegian prison.
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