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A military court in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has sentenced 37 people to death, including citizens of the US, UK, Belgium, and Canada for their roles in a coup attempt in May. This includes 3 Americans and a Belgian, British, and Canadian citizens who have been sentenced to death for their alleged involvement in the attempted overthrow of President Felix Tshisekedi
The coup plot had aimed to overthrow President Félix Tshisekedi. It appears to have been orchestrated by Christian Malanga, a Congolese-American who led a group of armed men in an attack on the presidential palace in May 2024.
Malanga, who had declared himself the leader of a government in exile, was killed during the failed coup attempt. The court’s sentences were based on the participants’ roles in the armed assault, which resulted in the deaths of several people and had aimed to destabilize the DRC’s political leadership.
The three Americans sentenced to death are Christian Malanga’s 21-year-old son Marcel Malanga, 22-year-old Tyler Thompson, and 36-year-old Benjamin Zalman-Polun. According to court testimonies, Marcel Malanga claimed that he was coerced into participating in the plot by his father, under threat of death. Thompson and Zalman-Polun have also denied having any prior knowledge of the coup attempt, with Thompson claiming he was misled into traveling to the DRC by promises of a vacation and family visit.
Congolese defense attorneys argued that their clients were not key figures in the coup attempt and were unaware of Christian Malanga’s true intentions. These arguments, however, did not sway the court, which imposed the death penalty on all 37 defendants, citing charges of terrorism, criminal association, and organizing an attack on the state.
The case has prompted an outcry in the United States, where media outlets have expressed doubts regarding the fairness of the trials. Malanga and his high school friend Thompson continue to insist they were first duped into coming to the DRC, and then forced to participate in the coup attempt. Thompson’s family has urged the US to intervene, appealing to senators Mike Lee and Mitt Romney for diplomatic assistance in securing their release.
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Through its embassy in the DRC, the US government is reportedly following the case closely but has not yet made any formal statement regarding the convictions. The defense team has confirmed plans to appeal the court’s decision, challenging the use of the death penalty in the DRC, which had only recently been reinstated.
