The image made the rounds on social media, a digital stigma for an entire nation. That of Honorine Porsche, a German citizen, stripped naked, humiliated, and displayed like a war trophy on Place Victoire in Kinshasa. Faced with this scene, it wasn't just passersby who watched, stunned, as the violent arrest unfolded. It was the collective conscience that wavered.

Since Monday, October 20, 2025, eight soldiers from the DRC Armed Forces (FARDC) have been appearing before the Kinshasa-Gombe Military Court. Their crime? Having inflicted "inhuman and degrading" treatment on this woman, a suspected robber, an act that the military prosecutor himself bluntly describes as "undignified." The public prosecutor is calling for exemplary punishment. It is no longer simply a matter of judging a crime, but of atoning for an affront to human dignity and the honor of the uniform.

The facts: a fake robbery, a very real humiliation

It all began on October 16. The Rawbank on Place Victoire, a regular hotspot for Kinshasa's unrest, suddenly descended into chaos. Honorine Porsche burst in. According to the investigation, she allegedly used a simple toy weapon to attempt her crime. The police operation was forceful and effective: it was brought under control without a single bullet being fired, without any injuries being reported. Was the danger really that great?

Yet, it was after the arrest that the legal and human drama unfolded. Videos, which went viral, captured the unspeakable. They show men in uniform, including Colonel Désiré Munesa and several captains, stripping the alleged robber naked in the street, watched by a crowd of onlookers. A spectacle of shame, without the slightest visible remorse.

The trial: the Congolese state faces its demons

The legal case is weighty. The eight accused, officers and soldiers, are being prosecuted on three counts: violation of orders, failure to report offenses, and, above all, culpable abstention. These charges reflect a desire to punish not only the barbaric act, but also the chain of silence and passive complicity that surrounded it.

The atmosphere in the courtroom is tense. The shadow of the international community looms large, embodied by the scathing statement from the German embassy. Berlin publicly condemned the treatment of its national and called on the Congolese authorities to respect their human rights commitments.

The shock wave: between social indignation and realpolitik

The Porsche affair has acted as a shockwave. It highlights, with cruel acuity, the persistent challenges to respecting fundamental rights during security interventions in the DRC. The outrage is social, but it is also political, forcing the state apparatus to react swiftly to contain a diplomatic scandal.

This trial is much more than the judgment of eight men. It is the trial of an institution's practices. The prosecution, by demanding exemplary sentences, is attempting to restore lost credibility. It tells, through the voices of its prosecutors, another possible story: that of a justice system that, finally, does not turn a blind eye.

The verdict will be scrutinized far beyond the Gombe court martial. It will reveal whether, in Kinshasa, the dignity of a woman, even if she is presumed guilty, weighs more heavily than the law of the strongest.