The spiritual leader of the Primitive Church, Pierre Kas Kasambakana, was arrested and questioned on Monday, January 22, at the general prosecutor's office near the court of appeals in Gombe for rape and forced marriage, according to ACP.

Furthermore, the court of appeals is also going to question the biological father of the young girl who has already been arrested in Muanda in central Kongo, some sources indicate.

For Me Joëlle Kona Mbamba, vice-president of the National Human Rights Commission (CNDH), "the arrest of Pastor Kas Kasambakana in Kinshasa, who married several minor girls, and of the biological father of the girl (a minor given in marriage to a 68-year-old pastor), in Mikanda, will serve as an example to anyone who engages in such acts."

According to the vice-president of the CNDH, this arrest is the result of several mobilizations made by women's rights organizations, female lawyers, and the National Human Rights Commission (CNDH), which had mobilized to approach the ministers of Justice and of Gender, Family, and Child, as well as the Attorney General to get their involvement in the case of the 13th marriage of Pastor Pierre Kasambakana and to expand judicial proceedings to all involved parties.

She further maintained: "It is a fight that is not about persecution of an individual but about the defense of women's rights and those who cannot speak out against what seems like sexual slavery, forced marriage. It is the Attorney General who is the designated person, and who alone has the foundation, the power, and the monopoly of public action so that actions can be carried out in order to shine light on and restore the rights of this innocent girl, who has been made to say things when it evidently appears that she did not consent to this marriage."

It was on January 8, 2024, after the publication of a video made in Moanda in central Kongo showing the marriage ceremony between this pastor and the girl, who some refer to as a minor. This video has caused outrage among many people.

Pierre Kas Kasambakana, it should be noted, is at his 12th marriage. In his preaching, he supports polygamy.

Boni Tsala