A military court in Congo sentenced three U.S. citizens to death on Sept. 13 for their alleged involvement in a failed coup attempt targeting the government of Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi.
Benjamin Reuben Zalman-Polun, 36, Marcel Malanga, 21, and Tyler Thompson, 21, were among 37 individuals who received the death penalty on Friday after being convicted on charges of conspiracy, terrorism, and attempted coup.
The verdict was handed down in an open-air court session in the yard of a military prison on the outskirts of Kinshasa, the capital of the Congo, on Friday, and read out on live TV.
Most of the defendants were Congolese but, besides the three Americans, there was also a Briton, a Belgian, and a Canadian. The defendants, who wore blue and yellow prison-issued tops as they sat before the judge, were given five days to appeal their sentences.
Richard Bondo, a lawyer who defended the six foreigners, argued that the investigation was flawed because his clients were given inadequate interpreters. He vowed to appeal the verdict.
The coup attempt, led by Christian Malanga, a U.S.-based Congolese politician, unfolded on May 19, 2023, when armed men briefly occupied a presidential office. The Congolese military quickly intervened, and Malanga was killed while resisting arrest. Five others also died in the botched takeover attempt.
Malanga’s son, Marcel Malanga, is one of the three Americans sentenced to death. He previously told the court that his father had threatened to kill him unless he took part in the coup attempt. His mother, Brittany Sawyer, maintains that her son was innocent and was simply following his father, who considered himself to be president of a shadow Congolese government in exile.
Thompson, who was Marcel’s friend and played high school football with him in Utah, had traveled to Congo on vacation to explore the world, according to his family, who maintain he had no knowledge of the elder Malanga’s coup plans. The Thompsons’ lawyer in Utah, Skye Lazaro, told The Associated Press that the family is heartbroken over the verdict.
Zalman-Polun, the third American to receive the death penalty, was a business associate of Christian Malanga.
In Washington, U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said at a press briefing on Sept. 13 that embassy staff had attended the proceedings and will continue to monitor the situation closely.
“We understand that the legal process in the DRC allows for defendants to appeal the court’s decision,” he said.
Asked if he believes the proceedings involving the three Americans have been fair, Miller said he didn’t want to pass judgment yet but that the department will be following developments closely as the appeals process plays out.
Utah Sens. Mitt Romney and Mike Lee, both Republicans, expressed sympathy for the families of the three Americans but they have not publicly called on the U.S. government to push for their release.
“My thoughts are with the families during this difficult time,” Lee said on Friday. “We will continue to work with the State Department to receive updates on this case.”
Romney spokesperson Dilan Maxfield called it “an extremely difficult and frightening situation for the families involved,“ adding that Romney’s office has ”consistently engaged with the State Department and will continue to do so.”
Some 50 people were charged in connection with the botched coup, with around two dozen acquitted and the remaining 37 sentenced to death.
Congo reinstated the death penalty earlier this year, ending a more than two-decade moratorium. Under the country’s penal code, the president determines the method of execution. In the past, militants have been executed by firing squad.
Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
