A 31-year-old Congolese man has been sentenced to just one year in prison after fatally assaulting an off-duty Swedish police officer at a World Cup viewing event in Copenhagen, Denmark. The man has also been banned from attending bars and nightclubs.
Nkumba Ludovic Tshiembe was sentenced after punching Swedish police officer Christian Zedig during a big-screen World Cup event at Islands Brygge in Copenhagen. Zedig, who was off duty at the time, died as a result of the assault.
The sentence has drawn condemnation from Zedig’s friends as well as politicians who have critizied it for being too light. Lotta Nykvist, a friend of Zedig’s family, described him as an outgoing person who was well-liked by those around him.
“He should be locked up, quite simply. He should not be let out again. A year is nothing. He has killed a human being,” she said of the suspect.
Danish Justice Minister Nicolai Wammen also condemned the sentence and said the government would seek to change the law to account for cases in which an assault results in death.
“I have a hard time finding words to express how angry it makes me that a Swedish police officer and family man was subjected to such a senseless act of violence that he ended up losing his life, it says, among other things,” he told Danish outlet TV 2. “If you have already shown that you are willing to commit violence against others, it should be reflected in the punishment if you do it again with such tragic consequences. I will submit a bill on this.”
Danish politician Morten Messerschmidt also commented on the light ruling, saying in a post on X, “12 months… Yes, you read that right. 12 months for beating a family man to death at a soccer party. A family man who leaves behind his wife and two children.”
