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Joshua French

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Joshua Olav Daniel Hodne French (born 7 April 1982 in Re, Vestfold, Norway) is a Norwegian-born security contractor and former soldier. He was arrested in May 2009 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and convicted (together with Tjostolv Moland) of murdering his (and Moland's) driver by gunshot and of espionage for Norway. In 2013 he was still imprisoned at Prison Militaire Ndolo.[1]

Moland and French are both former soldiers in the Norwegian Armed Forces, who later worked in the private security industry. The men claimed that their driver was murdered by gunmen who waylaid them. On September 8, 2009, they were both found guilty of all charges and sentenced to death by a military tribunal in the regional capital, Kisangani.[2][3][4][5][6] The Congolese government insists that the defendants were active duty Norwegian soldiers, contradicting the Norwegian government's insistence that they had had no connection with Norway's military since 2007.

Major Mofanza Yombo who is one of the judges who sentenced French to death, is a prisoner of the Central Prison of Kisanghani, as of July 2011.[7]

In a 20 August 2013 Aftenposten article French said that the murder victim in 2009 did not have an autopsy performed on.[8] Another article quoted Ingrid Samset (a political scientist) that a publicized suggestion of holding back development aid funds for "the war-torn nation" is not advisable, but instead Norway ought to open an embassy in Congo and invest in other ways also.[9]

Career

Joshua French grew up in the municipality of Re in Vestfold county. His mother is Norwegian and his father is British, and French has dual Norwegian and British citizenship.

Until 2006, French served in the Norwegian Armed Forces and was also employed in the British Army where he trained as a paratrooper.[10] In 2006, he was admitted to the Telemark Battalion, the Norwegian Army's elite infantry unit, but was allegedly forced to resign in 2007 as he and his friend Moland were accused of having recruited military personnel into employment with private security companies.[11]

Trial and conviction

Main article: Trial and conviction of Joshua French and Tjostolv Moland

Diplomats meeting in Democratic Republic of Congo

In 2013, France's then president on his visit to DRC suggested that prisoners French and Moland should be moved out of the situation of their six-man prison cell; five days later the two prisoners shared a cell of their own.[12] (Britain's foreign ministry had contacted France's in advance, due to Joshua French being a British citizen—in addition to being a Norwegian citizen).[12])

After Moland's death, Morten Furuholmen (a former lawyer of the two prisoners) said "My opinion has been that there should have been more activity from the highest levels of politics, including meeting in Congo. Norway's foreign ministry has limited itself to short meetings during UN sessions in New York, together with one contact in Ethiopia. There hasn't been meetings in Congo [involving Norwegian diplomats and Congolese counterparts, in regards to Moland and French] as far as I know".[13]

References

  1. ^ I helvetes forgård
  2. ^ Norwegians given death sentence by Congo court, The Norway Post, September 8, 2009.
  3. ^ Court in Congo sentences two Norwegians to death, Guardian, September 8, 2009]
  4. ^ 4VF News (Norway), September 8, 2009
  5. ^ Norwegians to die for Congo spying, The Daily Nation, September 8, 2009.
  6. ^ Smith, David (September 1, 2009). "European 'mercenaries' face death penalty in Congo". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 2010-05-18. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  7. ^ Dømte Moland og French til døden - sitter selv fengslet i sentralfengselet i Kisangani - nyheter. Dagbladet.no. Retrieved on 2013-08-19.
  8. ^ French: - Det er tydeligvis noen som er ute etter å skylde på meg
  9. ^ Kristin Jonassen Nordby; Per Christian Selmer-Anderssen (2013-08-20). "- Hver dag dør en fange i Kongos fengsler". Aftenposten.
  10. ^ Kjæresten min er ingen leiemorder, Dagbladet, May 27, 2009. (Norwegian)
  11. ^ Tvunget ut av Forsvaret, Aftenposten, September 2, 2009. (Norwegian)
  12. ^ a b Moland og French har fått egen celle etter hjelp fra François Hollande
  13. ^ Forfatter: - Dette er noe jeg har fryktet

External links

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