3 American citizens amongst dozens sentenced to demise in Congo coup strive

An army court docket in Congo passed down demise sentences Friday to 37 other folks, together with 3 American citizens, after convicting them on fees of participating in a coup strive. The defendants, maximum of them Congolese but in addition together with a Briton, Belgian and Canadian, have 5 days to enchantment the decision on fees that incorporated tried coup, terrorism and prison affiliation. Fourteen other folks have been acquitted within the trial, which opened in June.The court docket in Kinshasa remained silent because the verdicts have been learn, with defendants wearing blue and yellow jail uniforms and seated on plastic chairs, faces somber.

The court docket convicted the 37 defendants and imposed “the most harsh penalty, that of demise” within the verdict delivered by means of the presiding pass judgement on, Maj. Freddy Ehuma, at an open-air army court docket continuing that was once broadcast continue to exist TV.Richard Bondo, the attorney who defended the six foreigners, mentioned he disputed whether or not the demise penalty may recently be imposed in Congo, in spite of its reinstatement previous this yr, and mentioned his shoppers had insufficient interpreters throughout the investigation of the case. “We can problem this choice on enchantment,” Bondo mentioned.

Six other folks have been killed throughout the botched coup strive led by means of the little-known opposition determine Christian Malanga in Might that centered the presidential palace and an in depth best friend of President Felix Tshisekedi. Malanga was once fatally shot whilst resisting arrest quickly after live-streaming the assault on his social media, the Congolese military mentioned.

Benjamin Reuben Zalman-Polun, Marcel Malanga and Tyler Thompson, Americans suspected in conjunction with a gaggle of round 50 people to be considering an tried coup in Congo, watch for the overall verdict throughout their trial in Kinshasa, Congo, Sept. 13, 2024.

Reuters/Justin Makangara

Malanga’s 21-year-old son Marcel Malanga, who’s a U.S. citizen, and two different American citizens have been convicted within the assault. His mom, Brittney Sawyer, has mentioned her son is blameless and was once merely following his father, who regarded as himself president of a shadow govt in exile.The opposite American citizens have been Tyler Thompson Jr., who flew to Africa from Utah with the more youthful Malanga for what his circle of relatives believed was once a holiday, and Benjamin Reuben Zalman-Polun, 36, who’s reported to have identified Christian Malanga thru a gold mining corporate. The corporate was once arrange in Mozambique in 2022, in step with an authentic magazine printed by means of Mozambique’s govt, and a record by means of the Africa Intelligence e-newsletter.

Thompson’s circle of relatives maintains he had no wisdom of the elder Malanga’s intentions, no plans for political activism and did not even plan to go into Congo. He and the Malangas have been intended to trip best to South Africa and Eswatini, Thompson’s stepmother mentioned.Remaining month, the army prosecutor, Lt. Col. Blameless Radjabu, known as at the judges to condemn to demise the entire defendants, with the exception of for one that suffers from “mental issues.”Previous this yr, Congo reinstated the demise penalty, lifting a greater than two-decade-old moratorium, as government combat to curb violence and militant assaults within the nation.

AFP

contributed to this record.

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