A court in the Central African Republic sentenced former...

A court in the Central African Republic sentenced former military ruler Andre Kolingba and 21 others to death in absentia for their part in an attempted coup last year. Around 600 others, mainly soldiers, were also sentenced in absentia to up to 20 years in prison after a two-day trial in which they had no legal representation. The mass trial followed Kolingba's attempt in May 2001 to overthrow President Ange Felix Patasse, the man who won elections in 1993 to end Kolingba's 12-year rule. Kolingba's attempt to seize back power sparked bloody street fighting in the capital Bangui, which forced tens of thousands of residents from their homes and was only put down with the help of Libyan troops. The official death toll following the attempted coup was 59, though residents say many more died. "We note with bitterness that while the rest of the world moving towards abolishing the death penalty here the courts are handing down death sentences," lawyer Lambert Zokwezo, chairman of the Central African Human Rights Observatory, told Reuters. "People must realise the number of anomalies in this hearing," Zokwezo added, saying that some of those sentenced were known to have died in exile, while at least one of those judged in absentia was in fact already in detention.