US citizens’ death sentences are commuted by Congo in a failed coup

The president announced that the execution sentences of three Americans who were found guilty of taking part in a failed coup attempt in the Democratic Republic of the Congo last year had been reduced to life in prison in advance of the new U.S. senior advisor for Africa’s visit.

About 50 people, including Americans, British, Canadians, Belgians, and Congolese nationals, were put on trial last year after the failed attempt to topple the government in May.

The residents Benjamin Zalman-Polun, Tyler Thompson, and Marcel Malanga were among the 37 defendants who received death sentences in September by a military court.

Among other offenses, all three were convicted of criminal conspiracy and terrorism.

They filed a fruitless appeal against the decision and denied any misconduct. A pardon was then suggested by Congo’s justice ministry, and the public prosecutor asked the president to grant it.

According to his spokesperson Tina Salama, who appeared on national television on Tuesday, President Felix Tshisekedi signed three orders to commute their sentences to life in prison.

“This presidential pardon is a first step that promises major changes in the future,” declared Ckiness Ciamba, a lawyer for Malanga, over the phone.

Requests for response from Zalman-Polun’s attorney and Malanga’s family were not immediately answered. Thompson’s parents refused to be interviewed.

Marcel Malanga is the son of Christian Malanga, a Congolese politician who lives in the United States who led the armed men that temporarily held a presidential office in the capital city of Kinshasa on May 19 before being assassinated by security authorities.

Marcel Malanga is friends with Thompson, who played football with him in high school in Utah. Each is in their twenties. Zalman-Polun was Christian Malanga’s business partner.

The recently appointed U.S. special advisor for Africa, Massad Boulos, commuted their sentences before a trip to Congo.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s daughter Tiffany’s father-in-law, Boulos, will visit Congo, Rwanda, Kenya, and Uganda starting on April 3, the State Department announced Tuesday.

In the midst of a Rwanda-backed uprising in east Congo, he will work to further peace efforts and encourage private sector investment from the United States in the area.