Military Court Sentences 37 to Death in DRC for Attempted Rebellion

A military court in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has sentenced 37 individuals, including three US citizens, to death for their involvement in an attempted rebellion. The charges include terrorism and criminal links, as well as attacking the palace of President Felix Tshisekedi and the Speaker of the House of Commons.

The sentenced individuals include citizens of the United States, Britain, Belgium, and Canada. Christian Malinga, the leader of the opposition and a US citizen, led the riots but was killed during the attempt. His son, Marcel Malinga (21), a US citizen, was among those sentenced to death.

Two other US citizens were also sentenced to death: Tyler Thompson, who attended school with Marcel Malinga in Utah, USA, and Benjamin Salman Polan, Christian Malinga’s business partner.

The court acquitted 14 individuals and gave the accused five days to appeal. The verdict was broadcast live on television from a tent in a military prison near the capital Kinshasa. Marcel Malinga told the court that his father had threatened to kill him if he did not join the rebellion when he visited the Congo.