In the Democratic Republic of Congo, more than 900 prisoners are on death row, according to figures from an investigative report published by several organizations fighting the death penalty: Together Against the Death Penalty, Culture for Peace and Justice, and the Coalition Against the Death Penalty in the DRC. These individuals were sentenced by Congolese courts even though the DRC lifted its moratorium on executions at the beginning of 2024. The mission conducted in 2024-2025 by the three NGOs reveals a marked deterioration in the situation of those sentenced to death in the DRC.

While the report states in its introduction that there have been no official executions since the lifting of the moratorium in the DRC, it raises concerns about the unprecedented number of convictions. In 2024, at least 480 death sentences were handed down by the Congolese justice system. There were 122 in 2023. By comparison, for the years 2021, 2022, and 2023, there were 153, 163, and 122 convictions respectively.

Inevitably, the number of prisoners on death row has also skyrocketed. According to the authors of the report, it doubled between 2019, the year of the previous survey, and 2025. Currently, 916 death row inmates are being held in the DRC, 300 of whom are concentrated in a single prison: Angenga in Mongala province. This prison is very isolated, dilapidated, and unsanitary, where inmates lack water and food.

Finally, the three NGOs also warn of irregularities in certain judicial procedures that led to these convictions, arguing that "the shift made by the authorities has transformed the death penalty into an instrument of political communication."