THREE US citizens, suspected of being mercenaries, have been sentenced to death in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) after being found guilty of participating in an attempted coup, according to Reuters.
The Americans are among 37 defendants who received death sentences from a military court on Friday for their alleged roles in a failed coup attempt in May. The verdicts were read aloud on live television at the Ndolo military prison on the outskirts of Kinshasa, the capital city.
Reuters reports that the accused Americans include Marcel Malanga, son of US-based Congolese politician Christian Malanga, who led the brief occupation of a presidential office in Kinshasa on May 19 before being killed by security forces. Marcel’s friend Tyler Thompson, who played high school football with him in Utah, and Benjamin Zalman-Polun, a business associate of Christian Malanga, were also sentenced.
The defendants, who are in their 20s, were found guilty of criminal conspiracy, terrorism, and other charges. Marcel Malanga had previously told the court that his father had threatened to kill him unless he participated and that it was his first visit to the DRC at his father’s invitation.
The trial, which began in July, involved around 50 people of various nationalities, including US, British, Canadian, Belgian, and Congolese citizens. A Belgian-Congolese citizen, Jean-Jacques Wondo, was also among those sentenced to death.
The US State Department spokesperson, Matthew Miller, stated that embassy staff had attended the proceedings and would continue to monitor developments closely. Miller noted that the legal process in the DRC allows defendants to appeal the court’s decision.
Relatives of the convicted Americans have maintained their innocence. Marcel Malanga’s mother, Brittney Sawyer, has previously stated that her son is innocent, while Tyler Thompson’s stepmother, Miranda Thompson, said her stepson had travelled to the DRC on vacation to explore the world.
Reuters reports that attempts to reach the families of Marcel Malanga and Tyler Thompson for comment were unsuccessful.
