Raphael Yanyi murder underscores surge in attacks on African judges

Attacks on judges in Africa have a long, violent history. In September 1972, soldiers under Ugandan leader Idi Amin abducted and shot Chief Justice Benedicto Kiwanuka after he criticised Amin’s policies. More recently, on 3 February 2020, all five judges of Malawi’s Constitutional Court wore bullet‑proof vests while hearing a presidential election petition, highlighting ongoing security concerns.

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, senior judge Raphael Yanyi was found dead on 26 May 2020. Police initially claimed a heart attack, but the Justice Ministry’s autopsy revealed fatal knife‑like wounds to his head. Yanyi was presiding over a high‑profile corruption trial of Vital Kamerhe, chief of staff to President Felix Tshisekedi, when he was killed. Advocates such as Zimbabwe’s Justice Mavedzenge stress the distinction between attacks on judicial independence and direct persecution of judges, noting that the 1985 UN Basic Principles on the Independence of the Judiciary omitted any reference to personal attacks on judges.