**Two Norwegian men have been sentenced to death in the Democratic Republic of Congo after being convicted of murder.**Joshua French, 27, and Tjostolv Moland, 28, were also accused of arms smuggling and espionage. They denied all charges.
They were held after their Congolese driver was found shot dead in May this year in the north-east of the country.
The two were ordered to pay $60m (£36m) damages. There was reportedly applause when the sentence was handed down at a military tribunal in Kisangani city.
Authorities back in Oslo have denied French and Moland were involved in espionage for Norway, and have expressed concern they were not receiving a fair trial.
“The court declares that all crimes are established in fact and in law… and sentences Tjostolv Moland to the death penalty… and Joshua French to the death penalty,” an officer told the packed court, reports Reuters news agency.
Reports say French and Moland - former members of Norway’s armed forces - had been trying to set up a private security firm in the DR Congo.
The pair have said their driver was shot and killed when their car was attacked by gunmen on the road near city of Kisangani.