A military court in the Democratic Republic of the Congo sentenced 37 people to death on September 13, 2024, after convicting them over the failed May 19 coup attempt in Kinshasa. The group included three U.S. citizens, a British citizen, a Belgian and a Canadian, along with Congolese defendants.
The verdict followed a trial over an armed operation that targeted the Palais de la Nation, a presidential complex, and the home of Vital Kamerhe, a senior political figure who was serving as economy minister at the time of the attack. Six people were killed during the violence, according to reporting by Reuters and the Associated Press.
Military Court Sentences 37 Defendants
The Kinshasa military court convicted the defendants on charges that included terrorism, murder, criminal association and offenses connected with the attempted overthrow of the government. Fourteen other defendants were acquitted.
The proceeding was held at Ndolo military prison in Kinshasa. At the time of the verdict, the defendants had the right to challenge the ruling through the Congolese appeals process. Lawyers representing the three Americans subsequently filed an appeal.
The three U.S. citizens sentenced to death were Marcel Malanga, Tyler Thompson Jr. and Benjamin Reuben Zalman-Polun.
What Happened During the May 19 Attack
The failed coup attempt was led by Christian Malanga, a Congolese-born political activist who had become a U.S. citizen and operated a political organization from abroad.
Armed men attacked Kamerhe's residence before entering the Palais de la Nation. Malanga livestreamed part of the operation on social media. Congolese security forces later killed him. The Congolese military said at the time that Malanga had been shot while resisting arrest.
Later U.S. court filings provided a more detailed account of the alleged planning. In an April 2025 criminal case announced by the U.S. Department of Justice, federal prosecutors alleged that members of the group had planned an armed operation to overthrow President Félix Tshisekedi's government and establish a government called "New Zaire." Those allegations form part of a separate U.S. criminal case and are not themselves findings of guilt.
The Three Americans
Marcel Malanga, Christian Malanga's son, told the Congolese court that his father had forced him to participate and had threatened him. He said he had traveled to the DRC to see his father after years of separation.
Tyler Thompson Jr., a friend of Marcel Malanga from Utah, traveled to Africa with him. Thompson's family maintained that he believed he was going on a vacation and did not know in advance that he would become involved in an armed political operation.
Benjamin Reuben Zalman-Polun had business connections with Christian Malanga. All three men were convicted by the Congolese military court.
The defendants and their relatives disputed aspects of the prosecution's case, while Congolese authorities maintained that the men participated in the operation. The convictions therefore represented the military court's findings, while statements about coercion or lack of prior knowledge were defenses presented by the accused or their families.
British Citizen Among Those Sentenced
The British national convicted in the case was Youssouf Ezangi. Following the September 2024 verdict, the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said it was providing consular assistance to a British man detained in the DRC and had raised concerns about the use of the death penalty with Congolese authorities.
Ezangi's death sentence was among those imposed by the military court. His case was separate from that of Belgian-Congolese security specialist Jean-Jacques Wondo, another defendant convicted in the same proceedings.
DRC Had Recently Lifted Its Execution Moratorium
The sentences came only months after the Congolese government moved to resume executions following more than two decades without known executions. On March 13, 2024, the justice minister notified judicial authorities that the long-standing moratorium would be lifted for certain offenses.
Amnesty International, which opposes capital punishment, reported that the DRC's last known executions had taken place in 2003 and criticized the government's decision to resume them.
The Congolese government said the policy was intended in part to address treason and security threats as the country faced armed conflict in its eastern regions and other serious security challenges.
Later Development: Americans' Death Sentences Commuted
The status of the three Americans changed substantially after the original 2024 verdict. On April 1, 2025, President Félix Tshisekedi commuted the death sentences of Marcel Malanga, Tyler Thompson and Benjamin Zalman-Polun to life imprisonment.
Days later, Congolese authorities transferred the three men to the United States in coordination with U.S. officials. The Congolese presidency said they had been sent to the United States to serve their sentences.
Their return did not end the legal consequences surrounding the coup attempt. On April 9, 2025, the U.S. Justice Department announced federal charges against Malanga, Thompson and Zalman-Polun, as well as a fourth American, Joseph Peter Moesser.
The U.S. charges included allegations of conspiracy to provide material support, conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction, conspiracy to bomb government facilities and conspiracy to kill or kidnap people abroad. The Justice Department emphasized that a criminal complaint contains allegations and that defendants are presumed innocent unless proved guilty in court.
The three men later pleaded not guilty to the U.S. charges, leaving the American proceedings to be resolved separately from their convictions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
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