Foreigners among botched coup convicts sentenced to death

Three US citizens are among 37 defendants sentenced to death by a military court on Friday for their role in a May failed coup in the DRC. Armed men briefly occupied an office of the Presidency in capital Kinshasa on 19 May before their leader, US-based Congolese politician Christian Malanga, was killed by security forces. His son, Marcel Malanga, was among the Americans on trial, along with Marcel's friend, Tyler Thompson, who played high school football with him in Utah. Both are in their 20s. News24 reports that the third American, Benjamin Zalman-Polun, was a business associate of Christian Malanga. All three were found guilty of criminal conspiracy, terrorism and other charges, and sentenced to death. The Americans are among some 50 people, including US, British, Canadian, Belgian and Congolese citizens, standing trial following the failed coup. US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said embassy staff had attended the proceedings and would continue to follow developments closely. ‘We understand that the legal process in the DRC allows for defendants to appeal the court's decision,’ he told a briefing.

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