3 Americans Involved in Congo Coup Attempt Tried Before Military Tribunal

KINSHASA, Congo — Three Americans accused of involvement in last month's attempted coup in Congo appeared Friday before a military court in the country's capital, Kinshasa, along with dozens of other defendants who lined up on plastic chairs in front of the judge. on the first day of the hearing.

The proceedings before the open-air military court were broadcast live on the local television channel.

Six people were killed last month in a failed coup attempt led by little-known opponent Christian Malanga that targeted the presidential palace and a close ally of President Félix Tshisekedi. Malanga was fatally shot for resisting arrest shortly after broadcasting the attack live on his social media, the Congolese army said.

The defendants face a number of charges, many of which carry the death penalty, including terrorism, murder and criminal conspiracy. The court said there were 53 names on the list, but the names of Malanga and another person were removed after the death certificates were produced.

Malanga's son, Marcel Malanga, 21, a U.S. citizen, and two other Americans are on trial for their alleged role in the attack. All three requested an interpreter to translate the proceedings from French into English.

Malanga's son was the first to be questioned by the judge, who asked him to confirm his name and other personal information. The military official chosen to translate for him apparently did not understand English well. Eventually a journalist was chosen from the media to replace him, but he too had difficulty translating the figures and details of the debates.

“He is not interpreting correctly. We need another interpreter who understands English, please,” Marcel Malanga told the judge after the reporter mistranslated his zip code.

But no other translator appeared and the defendants had to make do with the journalist, who worked for the national radio. Malanga seemed frustrated and defiant as the interview stumbled along.

Tyler Thompson Jr., 21, flew to Africa from Utah with the younger Malanga for what his family believed would be a vacation, with all expenses paid by the elder Malanga. The young men had played football together in high school in suburban Salt Lake City. Other teammates accused Marcel of offering up to $100,000 to join him in “security work” in Congo.

Thompson appeared in court with a shaved head and sores on his skin, looking nervous and lost as he confirmed his name and other personal details.

His mother-in-law, Miranda Thompson, told The Associated Press that the family learned of the hearing too late to arrange a trip to Congo, but hoped to be present for future hearings. Before this week, the family had no proof he was still alive.

“We are delighted with this confirmation,” she said.

Miranda Thompson worried that her stepson wouldn't even know that his family knew he had been arrested. On Monday, the U.S. Embassy in Congo told the AP that it had not yet had access to American prisoners to provide them with consular services ahead of the trial.

The embassy did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday.

Thompson's family maintains that he had no knowledge of the elder Malanga's intentions, had no plans for political activism, and did not even intend to enter the Congo . He and the Malangas were supposed to travel only to South Africa and Eswatini, Thompson's mother-in-law said.

Marcel Malanga's mother, Brittney Sawyer, said her son was innocent and simply followed his father, who saw himself as president of a shadow government in exile. Sawyer and the Thompsons independently finance legal fees and travel funds to be present for the remainder of the trial.

Both families say they still worry about their sons' health: Malanga suffers from liver disease and Thompson contracted malaria earlier in the trip.

“As a mother, my heart cries every day,” Sawyer wrote on her crowdfunding page. “My main goal every day is to bring him home. »

Benjamin Reuben Zalman-Polun, 36, was the third American put on trial. He was seen sitting in the back row and was the last to be questioned. He told the court he was not married and had three children. The AP was unable to reach his family for comment.

Zalman-Polun, who pleaded guilty in 2015 to marijuana trafficking, allegedly knew Christian Malanga through a gold mining company established in Mozambique in 2022, according to an official gazette published by the Mozambique government and a report of Africa Information Bulletin.

A prominent Belgian-Congolese researcher on political and security issues, Jean-Jacques Wondo, also appeared in court on Friday. It is not known what evidence was used against him. Human Rights Watch said it consulted with Wondo for years about his research, and his only connection to Malanga appears to be an old photo.

“Wondo and the other detainees should be credibly charged with a criminal offense or immediately released. An arrest based solely on a 2016 photo is simply not credible,” Human Rights Watch said in a statement Friday.

The accused will appear in court again next Friday to continue the trial.

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Donati reported from Dakar, Senegal, and Schoenbaum from Salt Lake City.