A UK national is among 37 individuals who have been sentenced to death in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) following a conviction related to an attempted coup in the central African nation.
A spokesperson from the foreign office informed Sky News that they are providing consular support to “a British individual detained in the DRC” and are in touch with the local authorities.
“We have raised concerns regarding the execution of the death penalty with the DRC at the highest levels, and we shall persist in doing so.”
Marcel Malanga (second from right) alongside other defendants await the ruling. Pic: Reuters
Among those sentenced were three American nationals, a Belgian citizen, and a Canadian, in addition to several Congolese.
Judge Major Freddy Ehuma, addressing an outdoor military tribunal in Kinshasa that was aired live, stated they received “the most severe sentence, that of death”.
The defendants have a period of five days to contest their convictions after being found guilty of charges including terrorism, murder, and criminal conspiracy.
During the trial, which commenced in June, fourteen individuals were acquitted.
The attempted coup in May resulted in the deaths of six individuals and was led by Christian Malanga, a relatively unknown figure in the opposition.
According to mediacongo.net, the insurgents occupied DRC President Felix Tshisekedi’s office within the presidential palace for nearly an hour prior to their arrest.
Shortly after broadcasting the assault on social media, Mr. Malanga was shot dead while resisting apprehension, as reported by the Congolese army.
Mr. Malanga’s son, Marcel, a 21-year-old US citizen, was convicted along with fellow Americans, Tyler Thompson Jr. and Benjamin Reuben Zalman-Polun.
Brittney Sawyer, Marcel Malanga’s mother, maintains her son’s innocence, asserting that he was primarily following his father, who claimed to lead a shadow government in exile.
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Mr. Thompson Jr. traveled from Utah together with Mr. Malanga under the pretense of a vacation, according to his family. Mr. Zalman-Polun, aged 36, reportedly had a connection to Christian Malanga through a gold mining enterprise established in Mozambique in 2022.
The family of Mr. Thompson Jr. stated that he was unaware of Christian Malanga’s plans and had no intentions of entering the DRC.
The identity of the British citizen remains undisclosed.
This year, the DRC reinstated the death penalty for the first time in over two decades in response to rising violence and militant activities.
Despite this development, Richard Bondo, the attorney representing the six foreign defendants, challenged the validity of the death penalty application and expressed concerns regarding the inadequacy of interpreters available during the investigative process.
He confirmed intentions to appeal.
