Three U.S. citizens are among 37 defendants sentenced to death by a military court on Friday for their involvement in a failed coup attempt in the Democratic Republic of Congo in May. Armed men briefly seized a presidential office in Kinshasa on May 19, before their leader, U.S.-based Congolese politician Christian Malanga, was killed by security forces.
Among those on trial were Malanga’s son, Marcel Malanga, along with his friend, Tyler Thompson, both in their 20s, who had played high school football together in Utah. The third American, Benjamin Zalman-Polun, was a business associate of Christian Malanga.
All three were found guilty of criminal conspiracy, terrorism, and other related charges and were sentenced to death, with the ruling broadcast live on television.
During the trial, Marcel Malanga testified that his father had threatened to kill him if he did not participate. He also stated that it was his first visit to Congo, having been invited by his father, whom he had not seen in years.
The Americans were part of a group of around 50 people, including citizens from the U.S., UK, Canada, Belgium, and Congo, standing trial for their roles in the coup attempt. In total, 37 of the defendants were sentenced to death.
The verdict was delivered under a tent at Ndolo military prison on the outskirts of Kinshasa, where the defendants, wearing blue and yellow prison uniforms, sat before the judge.
