Family of Utahn sentenced to death in Congo speaks out

SALT LAKE CITY ( ABC4 ) — The family of Tyler Thompson Jr. has released a statement regarding his death penalty sentencing handed down by a military court in Congo on Friday.

Read the statement in full below:

We are heartbroken over the verdict from the DRC: Tyler has been sentenced to death by a military tribunal, as have the two other Americans that were charged and convicted. We continue to believe in Tyler’s innocence and will be pursuing all possible appellate remedies. We urge all who have supported Tyler and the family throughout this process to write to your Congressmen and request their assistance in bringing him home. Thank you for standing with us.

Many have reached out as the recent news has been reported. We are grateful for the kindness and support during the past months. At this time, we ask that our family’s privacy be respected as we navigate this situation and determine our next steps.

Skye Lazaro, Ray, Quinney & Nebeker, PC. Attorney for Tyler Thompson and the Thompson family

The Congolese military court handed down death sentences Friday to 37 people, including three Americans, after convicting them on charges of participating in a coup attempt.

Six people were killed during the botched coup attempt led by the little-known opposition figure Christian Malanga in May that targeted the presidential palace and a close ally of President Felix Tshisekedi. Malanga was fatally shot while resisting arrest soon after live-streaming the attack on his social media, the Congolese army said.

Malanga’s 21-year-old son Marcel Malanga, who is a U.S. citizen, and two other Americans, were convicted in the coup attempt. He told the court that his father had forced him and his high school friend to take part in the attack.

Thompson Jr., 21, flew to Africa from Utah with the younger Malanga for what his family believed was a free vacation, and Benjamin Reuben Zalman-Polun, 36, is reported to have known Christian Malanga through a gold mining company. The company was set up in Mozambique in 2022, according to an official journal published by Mozambique’s government, and a report by the Africa Intelligence newsletter.

U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters in Washington on Friday that the federal government was aware of the verdict. The department has not declared the three Americans wrongfully detained, making it unlikely that U.S. officials would try to negotiate their return.

“We understand that the legal process in the DRC allows for defendants to appeal the court’s decision,” Miller said. “Embassy staff have been attending these proceedings as they’ve gone through the process. We continue to attend the proceedings and follow the developments closely.”

Thompson’s family maintains he had no knowledge of the elder Malanga’s intentions, no plans for political activism and didn’t even plan to enter Congo. He and the Malangas were meant to travel only to South Africa and Eswatini, his stepmother, Miranda Thompson, told The Associated Press.

Utah’s U.S. Sens. Mitt Romney and Mike Lee have not publicly urged the U.S. government to advocate for the Americans’ release.

“My thoughts are with the families during this difficult time,” Lee told the AP on Friday. “We will continue to work with the State Department to receive updates on this case.”

“This is an extremely difficult and frightening situation for the families involved,” Romney spokesperson Dilan Maxfield said. “Our office has consistently engaged with the State Department and will continue to do so.”

Last month, the military prosecutor, Lt. Col. Innocent Radjabu, called on the judge to sentence all of the defendants to death, except for one who suffers from “psychological problems.”

Congo reinstated the death penalty earlier this year, lifting a more than two-decade-old moratorium, as authorities struggle to curb violence and militant attacks in the country. The country’s penal code allows the president to designate the method of execution. Past executions of militants in Congo have been carried out by firing squad.

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