Congo Court Sentences 3 Americans and 34 Others to Death on Coup Charges
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Loading... - Laura Ansong
- 19 Sep 2024
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A military court in the Democratic Republic of Congo has sentenced 37 people, including three young Americans, to death on charges of participating in a coup attempt. The defendants, who also include a Briton, Belgian, and Canadian, were convicted of attempted coup, terrorism, and criminal association.
The lawyer for the three American defendants has filed an appeal, citing that the reinstatement of the death penalty in Congo earlier this year was illegal. The lawyer, Richard Bondo, argues that Congo's membership in the Treaty of Rome prohibits the use of the death penalty, and that the parliament should have decided on an alternative penalty.
The coup attempt, led by opposition figure Christian Malanga, targeted the presidential palace and a close ally of President Felix Tshisekedi in May. Six people were killed during the botched attempt, and Malanga was fatally shot while resisting arrest.
The three American defendants are Marcel Malanga, 21, a U.S. citizen and son of Christian Malanga; Tyler Thompson Jr., 21, who flew to Africa from Utah; and Benjamin Reuben Zalman-Polun, 36, who knew Christian Malanga through a gold mining company. Marcel Malanga told the court that his father had forced him and his friend to take part in the attack.
Marcel Malanga's mother, Brittney Sawyer, maintains that her son is innocent and was simply following his father's orders. She has been fundraising to support her son, who is being held at the Ndolo military prison and is suffering from a liver disease.
The reinstatement of the death penalty in Congo has raised human rights concerns, and the use of the death penalty as a means of punishment is widely debated. The appeal filed by the lawyer for the American defendants highlights the need for a thorough review of the case and the legality of the death penalty in Congo.
