A military court in Congo has handed down DRC coup trial death sentences to 37 individuals. It includes three US nationals, for their involvement in a bungled coup attempt in May. The court’s president, Freddy Ehume, announced the verdict live on television, declaring that the defendants would face execution for charges including terrorist assault, criminal association, and terrorism. The ruling affects defendants from Belgium, Canada, and the United Kingdom, who now have five days to appeal. The trial, which began in June, acquitted fourteen people.
Richard Bondo, the defense attorney for the six foreigners, questioned the relevance of the death sentence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, despite its reinstatement earlier this year. He also took issue with the court’s provision of insufficient interpreters during the inquiry. Bondo declared, “We will challenge this decision on appeal.”
On May 19, armed men temporarily took over a presidential office in Kinshasa, sparking the coup attempt. Consequently, security forces murdered two security guards and the group’s leader, Christian Malanga, a politician from Congo living in the United States. Malanga was a well-known businessman and former military captain who proclaimed himself the President of New Zaire. After former President Joseph Kabila jailed him, he moved to the United States and founded the United Congolese Party (UCP), which promotes anti-corruption and religious freedoms.
President Felix Tshisekedi began his second term in January amidst previous Western and Central Africa coups. Furthermore, Human Rights Watch has requested the Democratic Republic of Congo to ensure that the DRC coup trial death sentences followed international standards. Malanga’s son, Marcel, and his companions, Benjamin Zalman-Polun and Taylor Thompson, were sentenced. A Belgian military specialist was also among those found guilty. In March, the Democratic Republic of the Congo repealed its moratorium on the death penalty, citing ongoing deadly conflict.
