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KINSHASA, Congo — On Tuesday, prosecutors in the Democratic Republic of the Congo urged that 50 individuals, including three Americans, be sentenced to death in connection with what the military has described as a coup attempt earlier this year.
Lieutenant Colonel Innocent Radjabu, acting as the military prosecutor, called for the maximum penalty for all defendants except one, who has been identified as having “psychological problems.”
The trial, which commenced in June, encompasses a variety of serious charges, including terrorism, murder, and criminal conspiracy, many of which carry the death penalty.
This legal action stems from a failed attack in May led by Christian Malanga, a relatively obscure opposition leader. The coup attempt aimed at the presidential palace and a key ally of President Felix Tshisekedi. Malanga was reportedly shot by authorities shortly after he streamed his attempted coup on social media.
Among those on trial is Marcel Malanga, the 21-year-old son of Christian Malanga, who is a U.S. citizen. Alongside him are two other Americans. His mother, Brittney Sawyer, claims her son is innocent, asserting that he merely accompanied his father, who purportedly operated a shadow government in exile.
Another individual involved is Tyler Thompson Jr., another 21-year-old American, who traveled to Africa from Utah with Marcel, believing it was a vacation funded by the elder Malanga. The two had previously played high school football together. Complications arose when teammates accused Marcel of enticing Tyler with offers of up to $100,000 for a “security job” in Congo.
Thompson’s family maintains that he was unaware of Christian Malanga’s intentions and had no plans for any political involvement. They assert that the trip was originally intended to include travel only to South Africa and Eswatini, according to Thompson’s stepmother.
The third American involved, Benjamin Reuben Zalman-Polun, 36, reportedly had connections to Christian Malanga through a gold mining venture established in Mozambique in 2022, as indicated by an official journal from Mozambique’s government and a report from Africa Intelligence.
This development follows the Congolese government’s recent decision to reinstate the death penalty, ending a moratorium that had lasted over 20 years, in response to rising violence and militant threats in the country.
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