( CNN ) -- Two Norwegian citizens were sentenced to death Tuesday in the Democratic Republic of the Congo for espionage , murder and attempted murder , Norway 's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has confirmed to CNN . Joshua French and Tjostolv Moland have been sentenced to death and have five days to appeal . Asked about the sentence , Lambert Mende Omalanga , Congo 's minister of communications , told CNN , `` We do n't have a habit of commenting on judicial decisions . '' However , Omalanga said , his country has not carried out the death penalty in 10 years . He said lawmakers in parliament are in the process of trying to take the law off the books . A military court in Kisangani found Tjostolv Moland , 28 , and Joshua French , 27 , guilty on all charges , Norwegian TV2 reported . The court also ordered the pair to pay $ 60 million in damages . The men have five days to appeal their sentence , the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs told CNN . It was not clear why the men were in Congo . `` I have earlier made absolutely clear that these two have not been conducting business for Norway in any shape or form , '' Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs Jonas Gahr Store told Norwegian state television NRK after the verdict . `` We will now read through the sentence to see exactly how it is written , '' Store added . Norwegian authorities have been following the trial closely on television , and have tried to keep a balance between respecting the judicial system of a different country and helping Norwegian citizens in trouble , Store told NRK . The two men were found guilty of spying for Norway and for killing a driver in May , according to NRK . In an earlier statement on the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Web site , the ministry said that if the two Norwegians were to receive the death penalty , Norwegian authorities would immediately try to seek assurances from Congolese authorities that the death sentence would not be carried out . `` Norway has a very strong stand on the death penalty , and we are very much against it , '' a Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman told CNN . Images on NRK TV showed that after the sentence against the two men was read , applause broke out in the courtroom . CNN 's Deb Krajnak contributed to this report .
Two Norwegian citizens sentenced to death in the Democratic Republic of Congo . A Military Court found pair guilty of espionage , murder and attempted murder . The men have five days to appeal their sentence .