Three Americans were accused of being involved in a coup attempt in Congo and appeared in a military court in Kinshasa along with dozens of other defendants. The botched coup attempt targeted the presidential palace and resulted in six deaths. The defendants face charges including terrorism, murder, and criminal association, many of which are punishable by death. The trial was broadcast live on local television.
The defendants, including Christian Malanga’s 21-year-old son Marcel Malanga and two other Americans, requested an interpreter to translate the proceedings from French to English. Marcel Malanga expressed frustration with the translators provided, as they had difficulty understanding English. The defendants had to make do with a journalist from national radio to translate for them. Marcel Malanga and one other person were removed from the list of defendants after producing death certificates.
One of the Americans on trial, Tyler Thompson Jr., appeared before the court looking nervous and confirmed his personal details. His family was not able to arrange travel to Congo for the hearing but hoped to be present for future court dates. Thompson’s family maintains he had no knowledge of the coup attempt and had no plans for political activism or to enter Congo. Marcel Malanga’s mother and Thompson’s family are independently crowdfunding for legal expenses and travel funds to attend the rest of the trial.
Benjamin Reuben Zalman-Polun, a 36-year-old American also on trial, pleaded guilty to trafficking marijuana in 2015. He was seen in the back row of the court and stated he was not married and had three children. Zalman-Polun had known Christian Malanga through a gold mining company in Mozambique. Jean-Jacques Wondo, a Belgian-Congolese researcher on political and security issues, was also in court, though it was unclear what evidence was held against him.
The defendants, including the Americans, will appear in court again next Friday to continue with the trial. Human Rights Watch expressed concern over the detention of Wondo and others, stating that they should be credibly charged with a criminal offense or immediately released. The families of the American defendants are worried about their sons’ health, with Marcel Malanga having a liver disease and Thompson having contracted malaria earlier in the trip. The families are fundraising for legal expenses and travel funds to remain present for the trial.
