Joshua French
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Joshua Olav Daniel Hodne French (born 7 April 1982) is a Norwegian-
British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...
man who was convicted of
murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification (jurisprudence), justification or valid excuse (legal), excuse committed with the necessary Intention (criminal law), intention as defined by the law in a specific jurisd ...
in the
Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), also known as the DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Republic of the Congo), is a country in Central Africa. By land area, it is t ...
. He worked as a security contractor with his friend Tjostolv Moland when they were arrested in May 2009, and he was later convicted of attempted murder, armed robbery, the formation of a criminal association and espionage for Norway, of which he and Moland were found guilty and sentenced to death. In 2014 he was also convicted of the murder of Moland. He was released in 2017 after serving 8 years of his sentence, and returned to Norway. The trial caused controversy in Norway and Europe, as his mother claimed a lack of physical evidence, and "a clear economic motive from the Congolese government".


Biography


Early life

Joshua French grew up in the municipality of Re in Norway's
Vestfold Vestfold () is a county and a current electoral district in Norway. Located on the western shore of the Oslofjord, it borders Buskerud and Telemark counties. The county administration is located in Tønsberg, Norway's oldest city, and the larg ...
county. His mother is Norwegian and his father is British. French has dual Norwegian and
British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...
citizenship. French served in the Norwegian Armed Forces until 2006 and was also trained as a paratrooper in the British Army. In 2006, he was admitted to the Telemark Battalion, the
Norwegian Army The Norwegian Army () is the land warfare service branch of the Norwegian Armed Forces. The Army is the oldest of the Norwegian service branches, established as a modern military organization under the command of the King of Norway in 1628. The ...
's elite infantry unit, but was fired in 2007 when he and Moland were accused of having recruited military personnel into employment with private security companies. He has not had any military affiliation since 2007.


Murder and conviction

After resigning from the army, French and Moland continued working in the private security sector, specializing in contracts in
Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...
. On 5 May 2009, their hired driver, 47-year-old Abedi Kasongo, was shot and killed near
Bafwasende Bafwasende is a town in the Tshopo Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), also known as the DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neig ...
, Tshopo District,
Orientale Province Orientale Province () is one of the former provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and its predecessors the Congo Free State and the Belgian Congo. It went through a series of boundary changes between 1898 and 2015, when it was divided ...
,
Democratic Republic of Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), also known as the DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Republic of the Congo), is a country in Central Africa. By land area, it is t ...
. French was arrested on 9 May in the Epulu game reserve, around from Kisangani. Moland was arrested two days later in the
Ituri Province Ituri Province ( in Swahili) is one of the 21 provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo created in the 2015 repartitioning. Ituri, Bas-Uele, Haut-Uele, and Tshopo provinces are the result of the subdividing of the former Orientale ...
, a few hundred kilometres farther northeast.Congo court sentences Norwegians to death
AFP (via Google News), September 8, 2009.
The men claimed that their driver was murdered by gunmen who waylaid them, and claimed they had escaped the site due to fear that the gunmen would return for them. On 8 September 2009, they were both found guilty and sentenced to death by a
military tribunal Military justice (or military law) is the body of laws and procedures governing members of the armed forces. Many nation-states have separate and distinct bodies of law that govern the conduct of members of their armed forces. Some states us ...
in the regional capital,
Kisangani Kisangani (), formerly Stanleyville (), is the capital of Tshopo, Tshopo Province, located on the Congo River in the eastern part of the central Congo Basin in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is the country's fifth-most populous urban a ...
.Court in Congo sentences two Norwegians to death
''Guardian'', 8 September 2009]
Norwegians to die for Congo spying
The Daily Nation, 8 September 2009.
The DRC government considered the defendants to be active duty Norwegian soldiers, contradicting the Norwegian government's insistence that they had had no connection with Norway's military since 2007. French also claimed that an autopsy was not performed on the murder victim. In 2014 French was also convicted of the murder of Moland. The trial received massive media coverage in
Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...
, with several forensic and legal experts calling for the Norwegian government to interfere with what they considered a "theatrical trial" in an attempt to extort money from the government.


Post-conviction and Moland's death

French and Moland began serving their sentence in Kisingani in 2009. While they were sentenced to death the execution of prisoners is uncommon in Congo and the sentence was by many considered "life in prison" rather than death. In 2011, they were transferred from the prison in Kisigani to the Ndolo prison in Kinshasa. During a state visit to DRC in 2013 French President Francois Hollande suggested that French and Moland should be moved from their six-man prison cell. Five days later the two prisoners were transferred to a shared "private" cell. Britain's Foreign Ministry had requested intervention by Hollande, given French's status as a British national. Later the same year,
Bård Vegar Solhjell Bård Vegar Solhjell (born 22 December 1971) is a former Norwegian politician for the Socialist Left Party. He served as Minister of Education from 2007 to 2009, and as Minister of the Environment from 2012 to 2013, both in Stoltenberg's Sec ...
( Norwegian Minister of the Environment), who was in DRC for talks on rain forest projects, discussed the prisoners with authorities hoping to push for a potential transfer to a prison in Norway. On 18 August 2013, Moland was found dead in his cell. French, who slept with ear-plugs, had noticed that Moland got out of bed. When Moland did not return from the adjoining bathroom French woke up and found his cellmate dead. The prison officials were notified at daybreak four hours later and opened up an investigation. DRC's minister of communications, Lambert Mende Omalanga, said that "we're trying to determine whether it was suicide or homicide. It looks like suicide but we're not sure". Soon after Moland's death rumors in DRC suggested that French may have been involved in Moland's death. In response to this speculation, Norway sent a team of investigators from
Kripos The National Criminal Investigation Service (, previously ''Kriminalpolitisentralen''), commonly known as Kripos, is a special agency of the Norwegian Police Service. Based at Bryn in Oslo and established in 1959, it is a national unit that wo ...
together with a
forensic pathologist Forensic pathology is pathology that focuses on determining the cause of death by examining a corpse. A post mortem examination is performed by a medical examiner or forensic pathologist, usually during the investigation of criminal law cases an ...
to
Kinshasa Kinshasa (; ; ), formerly named Léopoldville from 1881–1966 (), is the Capital city, capital and Cities of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Kinshasa is one of the world's fastest-grow ...
. A DRC official, General Major Tim Mukuntu, said that "we don't need the Norwegian investigators, but to show openness towards the Norwegians, we have said that it is ok that they come" but that DRC will still lead the investigation. Norway's Foreign Ministry also posted a senior diplomat and press liaison officer to
Kinshasa Kinshasa (; ; ), formerly named Léopoldville from 1881–1966 (), is the Capital city, capital and Cities of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Kinshasa is one of the world's fastest-grow ...
. French made a statement welcoming the arrival of the Norwegian investigation team. The DRC minister of justice, Wivine Mumba Matipa, said "that she decided that Norwegian investigators had to participate during the investigation, so that speculation would stop." Matipa also wanted an observer from EU alongside the Norwegians. Following the death, Morten Furuholmen, former lawyer for the two prisoners, said that "there should have been more activity from the highest levels of politics, including meeting in Congo. Norway's Foreign Ministry limited contacts with congolese authorities to short meetings during UN sessions in New York, together with one contact in Ethiopia. There haven't been meetings in Congo as far as I know". In December 2013, Congolese authorities charged French with the murder of Moland by strangulation. According to the charges, French drugged Moland before the murder. The charges were met with surprise by Norwegian police and civil authorities. The Norwegian investigators had concluded that Moland had "beyond doubt" committed suicide. In May 2014, French was found guilty and given a second death sentence. During his incarceration, French's health declined drastically and he made several escape attempts to get medical treatment. In January 2016, French fell seriously ill and was hospitalized. He returned to prison six months later. During this time, negotiations continued to win his release or a prison transfer to Norway.


Release and return

After serving eight years in DR Congo, French was released on 17 May 2017 and returned to Norway the next day. In the official statement, the release is attributed to "health and family grounds". The process of having him transferred to Norway had begun several weeks before, but was not made public until after the plane carrying French had landed on Norwegian soil. French has always claimed his innocence, and maintains that both he and Moland were wrongfully convicted. Upon his return to Norway, French was hospitalized and treated in isolation for infections caused by multi-resistant bacteria. He was released from hospital in August 2017, and is currently residing at a hidden location with family members.


Documentary film

Congolese film director Djo Munga began working on a documentary film about French and Moland, originally slated for a 2014 release. Munga said that "media has been one sided and unfair to Congo in their coverage of this case. So in this film I will start by showing who the Congolese are and what they care about". As of October 2017, the film has not yet been released. The 2018 Norwegian film '' Mordene i Kongo'' was released giving a dramatized account of the events. As of 2018, French is giving a series of talks about his experiences, and is also working on a book.


References


External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:French, Joshua 1982 births 21st-century Norwegian criminals Norwegian male criminals Living people People from Re, Norway British Parachute Regiment soldiers Norwegian Army personnel Private military contractors Norwegian people imprisoned abroad British people imprisoned abroad Norwegian prisoners sentenced to death British prisoners sentenced to death Norwegian expatriates in the Democratic Republic of the Congo People convicted of spying Prisoners sentenced to death by the Democratic Republic of the Congo People convicted of murder by the Democratic Republic of the Congo Norwegian people convicted of murder British people convicted of murder Norwegian people of British descent 21st-century British Army personnel