Congo court sentences three Americans, 34 others to death over coup attempt

A military court in Congo sentenced 37 people to death, including three Americans , after convicting them on charges of participating in an attempted coup on Friday.

Among those sentenced were a Belgian, Briton, and Canadian. Court president Freddy Ehume delivered the verdict, stating, “The court pronounces the harshest sentence: the death penalty for criminal association, the death penalty for attack, the death penalty for terrorism.”

The trial, which began in early June, focused on an alleged coup attempt on May 19, when armed men stormed government buildings, including the home of the Minister of the Economy. The group attempted to storm Congo President Felix Tshisekedi’s offices, but the army responded and thwarted the plot. Six people were killed in the botched coup attempt. Fourteen people were acquitted in the trial.

Little-known opposition leader, Christian Malanga, whose website touted his success setting up a car dealership in Utah, is believed to have recruited his son, his son’s friend, and a business associate to help him overthrow the Democratic Republic of Congo’s government. Malanga was killed while resisting arrest.

He allegedly convinced one of his sons, Marcel, a high school football player, to join him. The other Americans accused of participating in the coup are Tyler Thompson, a Utah resident who told his parents he would be vacationing in South Africa, and convicted marijuana trafficker Benjamin Reuben Zalman-Polun.

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The Congolese government recently lifted a moratorium on the death penalty, which had been in place since 2003. Human rights groups have criticized the use of the death penalty, expressing concerns over the fairness of the court proceedings.

The defendants have five days to appeal the verdict. Richard Bondo, the lawyer who defended the six foreigners charged, said he planned to appeal the decision, claiming his clients had inadequate interpreters during the investigation of the case, according to reporting from the Associated Press.