A former believer who was sexually abused by Paul Mukendi said on Thursday she watched her world collapse again when one of the pastor’s right-wing men violated orders to protect her identity and “took the members of the Parole cult.” left behind her.
The complainant made powerful statements about the consequences of the crime committed by Cédric Malayi on August 22, 2021.
Malayi, a pastor who was then representing Paul Mukendi at the celebrations, named the woman during an event broadcast live on social media.
YouTube screenshot Reverend Paul Mukendi
Then came the harassment from Mukendi’s followers, “like a wild animal on its prey,” as the victim imagined.
“I have never seen beings so evil, vile and filled with so much hatred attack a single person,” she said on Thursday during the sentencing hearing against Cédric Malayi for violating the order must be imposed to protect his identity.
“I recognize that my harassers are continuing my process publicly, especially on social media […] I have experienced a lot of anger, a sense of injustice, a lot of humiliation and a lot of helplessness in the face of this whole unhealthy situation.”
Suicidal thoughts
The complainant had already experienced hell when she confronted the man she calls “the guru on the run” during the sexual assault trial at the end of which Paul Mukendi was sentenced to eight years in prison. The woman was still a minor when the attacks began and experienced the priest’s actions for several years.
Archive photo
The revelation of her identity brought her back to that troubled past. Panic attacks, sleep disorders, constant hypervigilance, mistrust, eating disorders, the list of consequences that the woman reports is long.
“I plunged back into my post-traumatic stress and despite my years of therapy and the resources provided to me, it didn’t stop me from feeling helpless, on the edge of the abyss,” said the woman who claimed to have contemplated suicide, to escape the clutches of the angry believers.
“Sometimes the pressure was so strong that I thought about ending my life just to make all this suffering stop,” she insisted, wondering how long this “cult” would continue to “ruin her life.”
Excuse me
The defendant Cédric Malayi also read a letter to the complainant on Thursday. He admitted that this August 22, 2021 speech “should never have happened.”
“I hope with all my heart that my words can serve as a basis to rekindle even a small spark in you,” he wished the victim and asked her for forgiveness for his actions.
“I broke the law and take full responsibility for it,” he emphasized.
Further negotiations on the sentence to be imposed on Malayi will take place later in the autumn, as the defense attorney has requested a postponement in order to have all the documents necessary for her plea in hand. At this point, the defendant must also testify.
Malayi was charged in the case along with the pastor’s wife, Carmen Mukendi, and two followers of their church. They were accused of harassing the complainant, but the charges were dropped in exchange for an undertaking to keep the peace and not to harass the woman.
Photo Kathleen Frenette
Still on the run
Meanwhile, Word of Life Church leader Paul Mukendi is still fleeing justice in Quebec. He was sentenced to eight years in prison and an additional two years for sex crimes and is still in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where he continues his activities with his wife.
Pierre Paul Biron
Mukendi is clearly not worried about the lack of an extradition treaty between the African country and Canada and continues his appearances on social networks. He continues to solicit donations from believers on his website.
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