Tyler Thompson Jr., Marcel Malanga and Benjamin Reuben Zalman-Polun

USA - 3 Americans and 34 Others Sentenced to Death in Congo

September 13, 2024:

September 13, 2024 - USA. 3 Americans and 34 Others Sentenced to Death in Congo on Coup Charges
A Congo military court sentenced three Americans and 34 others to death on Friday after being convicted of taking part in an attempted coup.
The foiled coup attempt led by a little-known opposition figure Christian Malanga in May killed 6 people, including Malanga who died during a shootout with presidential guards. The presidential palace was attacked in the attempted coup, as was the home of a close ally to President Felix Tshisekedi.
Malanga's son, Marcel Malanga, a 21-year-old U.S. citizen born in Utah, was one of the three Americans convicted in the attempted coup. His mother, Brittney Sawyer, previously told The Associated Press (AP) that her son "is innocent." Sawyer also said of Marcel Malanga on social media in May, "This was an innocent boy following his father."
The other 2 convicted Americans are Tyler Thompson Jr., who came to Congo from Utah with Marcel Malanga for what his family thought was an African vacation, and Benjamin Reuben Zalman-Polun, 36, who reportedly knew Christian Malanga from the gold mining business.
"We are stunned and heartbroken by the videos we have seen from the coup attempt," Thompson's stepmother, Miranda Thompson, previously told the AP. "We have no idea how he got wrapped up in this situation, which is completely out of character for him. We are certain he did not go to Africa with plans for political activism."
Christian Malanga, who dabbled in gold mining and used cars, considered himself president of a shadow government in exile. He had described himself on his website as a refugee who settled in the U.S. with his family in the 1990s. According to court records and interviews, Malanga was convicted in Utah in 2001 in incidents including assault with a firearm. He was also faced with domestic violence charges in the early 2000s but pleaded not guilty and the charges were dismissed.
Some of the other defendants in the coup were from Congo and there was also a Briton, Belgian and Canadian convicted. All 37 defendants can appeal the verdict on charges that included terrorism, murder and criminal association. There were also 14 people acquitted in the trial that started in June.
In March, the Congolese reinstated the death penalty after crime ran rampant in eastern Congo for decades as over 120 armed groups fought for the region's gold and other resources.
When the 2003 death penalty ban was lifted, the Congo's justice ministry said the ban allowed offenders accused of treason and espionage to get away without proper punishment.
Lieutenant Colonel Innocent Radjabu, the military prosecutor in the case, requested last month that the judges sentence all the defendants to death, except for one who suffers from "psychological problems."

https://www.newsweek.com/congo-coup-americans-sentenced-death-1953657