Three US Citizens Sentenced to Death in Congo for Involvement in Failed Coup, Reports Reuters

By Sonia Rolley and Jessica Donati

A military court in the Democratic Republic of Congo sentenced three U.S. citizens among 37 defendants to death on Friday for their involvement in a failed coup attempt in May.

On May 19, armed individuals briefly took control of an office in the presidential palace located in the capital, Kinshasa, before security forces killed their leader, Christian Malanga, a Congolese politician based in the United States.

The Americans on trial included Malanga’s son, Marcel, and his friend Tyler Thompson, both in their 20s and former high school football teammates in Utah. The third American, Benjamin Zalman-Polun, was a business associate of Christian Malanga.

The trio was convicted of charges including criminal conspiracy and terrorism, resulting in their death sentences being announced during a televised verdict reading.

During the trial, Marcel Malanga testified that his father had threatened him to ensure his participation. He also shared that it was his first visit to Congo, prompted by an invitation from his father, whom he had not seen in many years.

The Americans are part of a larger group of roughly 50 individuals being tried, including citizens from the U.S., Britain, Canada, Belgium, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Out of these, 37 received death sentences.

The verdict was delivered under a tent in the yard of Ndolo military prison, with the defendants seated in front of the judge in blue and yellow prison attire. The trial commenced in July.

In response to the situation, a spokesperson for the State Department indicated that embassy staff were present during the trial and would closely monitor the developments. He noted that the legal system in the Democratic Republic of Congo allows for appeals against the court’s ruling.

Among the defendants is also Belgian-Congolese citizen Jean-Jacques Wondo, whose family made video appeals to President Félix Tshisekedi prior to the trial, pleading for his release. Wondo’s wife, Nathalie Kayembe Wondo, urged the president, claiming his innocence.

Family members of Marcel Malanga and Thompson have not commented publicly on the case. However, Marcel Malanga’s mother, Brittney Sawyer, has previously maintained her son’s innocence.

Thompson’s stepmother, Miranda, stated that her stepson had traveled to Congo on vacation to broaden his horizons. Reports indicate that he is feeling isolated and lonely while imprisoned, as revealed through a fundraising initiative launched by his family to aid in his defense.