Congo Court Sentences 37 to Death Over Coup Charges

A court in Congo has sentenced 37 individuals to death on charges related to an attempted coup, marking a significant development in the country’s ongoing political unrest.

On Friday, a group of 37 individuals were sentenced to death by a military court in the Democratic Republic of Congo for their involvement in an attempted coup. Among those convicted were three American citizens.

The verdict on charges such as attempted coup, terrorism and criminal association has been given to the defendants. They have five days from now to appeal it. The convicted parties consist mainly of Congolese individuals but also include a Briton, Belgian and Canadian citizen. Out of all those who had stood trial since June in this case 14 people were declared not guilty by the court’s decision.

In an open-air military court proceeding that was broadcast live on TV, the presiding judge, Maj. Freddy Ehuma convicted and sentenced all of the 37 defendants to death in Kinshasa; he imposed “the harshest penalty.” The three Americans looked unflappable as a translator conveyed their verdict while they were seated on plastic chairs wearing blue and yellow prison clothes.

READ  ALSO: US Nationals Face Death Penalty for Alleged Coup Attempt in DR Congo

In May, a little-known opposition figure named Christian Malanga led a botched coup attempt against the presidential palace and an ally of President Felix Tshisekedi. During the attack, six people lost their lives. After live-streaming his actions on social media, Malanga resisted arrest and was fatally shot by Congolese army forces.

Marcel Malanga, who holds U.S. citizenship and is the 21-year-old son of Malanga, along with two other Americans were found guilty in the attack. Brittney Sawyer, Marcel’s mother claims that her son had no involvement in the crime and was just obeying his father’s orders as he believed himself to be a president of an unofficial government living in hiding.

Tyler Thompson Jr., aged 21, traveled to Africa from Utah with the younger Malanga on a trip that his family assumed was for leisure. Additionally, Benjamin Reuben Zalman-Polun (36) is believed to have been acquainted with Christian Malanga through their shared involvement in a gold mining enterprise amongst other Americans.

Earlier this year, Congo lifted its more than two-decade-old moratorium on the death penalty in an effort to curb violence and militant attacks in the country. As per the penal code of Congo, it is up to the President to decide how executions will be carried out. The most common method for executing militants in Congo has been by a firing squad.