The presidency announced that the death sentences of three U.S. citizens, convicted for their involvement in a failed coup in the Democratic Republic of Congo last year, have been changed to life imprisonment. This decision comes just before the visit of the new U.S. senior advisor for Africa.
These Americans were part of a group of around 50 individuals, which included citizens from the U.S., U.K., Canada, Belgium, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, who faced trial following the unsuccessful attempt to overthrow the government in May.
In September, a military court sentenced 37 defendants to death, including U.S. nationals Marcel Malanga, Tyler Thompson, and Benjamin Zalman-Polun. They were convicted of charges including criminal conspiracy and terrorism.
The three men maintained their innocence and appealed the verdict without success. Subsequently, the justice ministry suggested a pardon, which the public prosecutor sought from the presidency.
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On Tuesday, President Felix Tshisekedi signed three orders to convert their sentences to life imprisonment, as reported by his spokesperson Tina Salama on national television.
“This presidential pardon marks an initial step that could lead to significant changes in the future,” stated Ckiness Ciamba, one of Malanga’s attorneys, in a phone interview.
Relatives of Malanga and Zalman-Polun’s lawyer did not respond to requests for comments, while Thompson’s parents chose not to speak publicly.
Marcel Malanga is the son of Christian Malanga, a Congolese politician based in the U.S., who led armed men in a brief occupation of a presidential office in Kinshasa on May 19, where he was ultimately killed by security forces.
Thompson, a friend of Malanga, played high school football with him in Utah, and both are in their twenties. Zalman-Polun was a business partner of Christian Malanga.
Their sentences were commuted just before the visit to Congo by Massad Boulos, the newly appointed U.S. senior advisor for Africa.
Boulos, who is the father-in-law of Tiffany Trump, the daughter of U.S. President Donald Trump, is set to visit Congo, Rwanda, Kenya, and Uganda starting April 3, according to a statement released by the State Department on Tuesday.
His mission will focus on fostering peace initiatives in eastern Congo, where a rebellion supported by Rwanda is ongoing, as well as encouraging investment from the U.S. private sector in the area.
