Duda talks to DR Congo president about Pole sentenced for espionage
Polish President Andrzej Duda has spoken over the phone with his Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) counterpart, Felix Tshisekedi, about the case of a Pole who was sentenced by a Congolese court to life for alleged espionage, Duda's aide has said.
"On Friday there was a phone conversation between the Polish president and the Congolese president on the matter," Wojciech Kolarski told private radio broadcaster RMF FM on Monday.
"It is the duty of the head of the Polish state to take care of the life and health of Polish citizens who are in such dramatic situations," he also said, adding that the President's Office and the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) were cooperating on the matter.
Polish news service Interia has reported that on March 23, that the Pole appeared before a military tribunal in Congo and was charged with sabotage and destruction of installations of the Congolese Armed Forces. According to investigators, Majewski allegedly: "approached the front line with Mobondo militiamen, moved along the front line without authorisation from the relevant authorities and without the company of qualified agents, took photos of sensitive and strategic places and secretly observed military activities."
On Friday, MFA spokesperson Pawel Wronski said that Mariusz Majewski, a Polish traveller, had been charged with espionage and sentenced to life in prison the day before.
Wronski said at the Friday press briefing that Majewski "is not a spy, he is a man who belongs to a travellers' club... he pursues his passions... and his behaviour resulted from ignorance of local customs."
"We hope that in the next instances, this very harsh, drastic ruling will be changed," he said.
Wronski also said that deputy foreign ministers Andrzej Szejna and Henryka Moscicka-Dendys, had already contacted representatives of the Congolese authorities and intervened in this case.
"We are aware of the very difficult political situation in Congo, the ongoing civil war there and the recent coup attempt. However, we hope that justice will prevail in this matter and Mariusz Majewski will not be embroiled in a situation that is beyond his control," he added. (PAP)
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