A military court in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) sentenced three Americans to death on Friday, alongside 34 other individuals, for their involvement in an attempted coup. The Americans are Tyler Thompson, 21, Marcel Malanga, 21, both from Utah, and 36-year-old Benjamin Reuben Zalman-Polun. They were convicted on charges of terrorism, murder, and criminal association related to the failed May 2024 coup, which was led by opposition figure Christian Malanga against President Félix Tshisekedi.
The coup attempt, carried out by a paramilitary group, targeted government sites in Kinshasa, including the presidential residence and the home of parliamentary speaker Vital Kamerhe. Six people were killed during the operation. Christian Malanga, leader of the New Zaire Movement, was killed by security forces during the attack, which he livestreamed on social media.
Thompson and Malanga, who were friends from high school, had traveled to Africa in April 2024. Thompson’s family believed he was on vacation in South Africa but claim he became unwittingly involved in the coup, which was led by Christian Malanga, Marcel’s father. Christian Malanga, who had relocated to the U.S. in the 1990s, declared himself president of a “government-in-exile” opposed to the Tshisekedi regime. Zalman-Polun, the third American, was connected to the elder Malanga through a gold mining venture in Mozambique.
Three U.S. citizens have been sentenced to death in DRC following a failed coup in May.
Armed men briefly occupied an office of the presidency in capital Kinshasa on May 19 before their leader, U.S.-based Congolese politician Christian Malanga, was killed by security forces. pic.twitter.com/U1GvOSj0Lr
— Kavuli M. Bernard (@BernardKavuli) September 14, 2024
Thompson’s family insists he had no prior knowledge of the coup, thinking he was simply traveling with a friend. Marcel Malanga’s mother also claims her son’s innocence, saying he was following his father’s direction without understanding the full scope of the plot.
The trial, which began in June 2024, involved over 50 defendants, including individuals from Britain, Belgium, and Canada. Of the 37 convicted, all received death sentences, while 14 were acquitted. The defense plans to appeal the verdict, and DRC law allows for the sentences to be overturned through the appeals process.
The U.S. State Department has been closely monitoring the case, attending the trial proceedings but has not officially declared the Americans wrongfully detained. The Department continues to advise against travel to the DRC due to ongoing violence and instability.
The DRC reinstated the death penalty in March 2024 after a 20-year moratorium, although no executions have been carried out since then. Executions, if enforced, are typically by firing squad. Appeals are expected, with families of the convicted Americans maintaining their innocence, asserting they were caught in a situation beyond their control.
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