In the Democratic Republic of Congo, 37 individuals, including three U.S. citizens, have been sentenced to death for their involvement in a failed coup attempt. The verdict was delivered by a military court on Friday, September 13, as reported by Reuters.
The incident took place on May 19 of this year, when an armed group seized the presidential office in Kinshasa, the capital of Congo. This group was reportedly followers of Christian Malanga, a Congolese politician based in the United States. Shortly after the coup attempt, Malanga was killed by Congolese security forces.
Among the three U.S. citizens sentenced to death is Christian Malanga’s son, Marcel Malanga, along with his friend, Taylor Thompson. Both are in their early 20s and grew up together in the U.S. state of Utah. The third U.S. citizen, Benjamin Zalman-Paulun, was a business associate of Christian Malanga.
The trial involved around 50 people, including citizens from the United States, Britain, Canada, Belgium, and Congo, all accused of participating in the coup attempt. Of them, 37 have been handed death sentences.
