In a recent case which shook the city of Brazzaville, seventeen students from the 5-February-1979 technical high school were charged with “degrading an object of utility or public decoration”. The incident in question took place when the Congolese national flag was taken down and replaced by a black flag within the school establishment.
During the trial which opened before the sixth criminal chamber of the capital’s court, the hearing attracted a large crowd and lasted almost six hours. The initial number of defendants, fourteen, increased to seventeen after the indictment of three witnesses. During the debates, some of the accused partially admitted the facts, although without providing a clear explanation as to their motivation for having made this change of national symbol.
Some students claimed to have been caught in the confusion during the incident, while a computer engineer even benefited from provisional release after intervening during the arrest of his younger brother, a high school student. Defense lawyer, Mr. Haris Kissouésoué, expressed his disappointment at the lack of in-depth investigation carried out by the Congolese police, stressing that some high school students involved in the case are currently on the run.
The hearing was suspended and will resume later with the hearing of witnesses, in particular those in charge of the school. This case raises questions about the motivations of the students involved, about the management of the situation by the authorities and sparks debates about the responsibility of young people within society. Let’s stay tuned for future developments in this matter.