London, England (CNN) -- Two Norwegians were sentenced to death Thursday in Congo, the Norwegian Foreign Ministry said, after what a human rights group called a "military show trial" that relied on evidence obtained through torture.
Joshua French, 28, who is also a British citizen, and Tjostolv Moland, 29, were convicted of murder, attempted murder, criminal conspiracy, armed robbery, and espionage, according to British legal charity Reprieve.
Both men have maintained their innocence.
Norway and Britain said Thursday they remain opposed to the death penalty and offered support to the men.
The two men traveled into Congo from Uganda on a motorbike trip in April 2009, Reprieve said. When their bike broke down in Kisangani, they hired a car and a driver, and two Congolese passengers joined them, the group said.
Several hours into the journey, in the middle of the rainforest, the driver was shot and killed, Reprieve said. Authorities allege French and Moland killed the driver, but both men maintain they were ambushed by gunmen.
