Democratic Republic of Congo repatriates Americans facing life over failed coup
The three men will now serve their sentences in the US.
Three Americans convicted on charges of participating in a botched coup attempt in the Democratic Republic of Congo last year have been repatriated to the United States days after the country commuted their death sentences to life imprisonment, an official said.
The three will serve their sentences in the US following the repatriation done in collaboration with the US embassy, Congolese presidential spokesperson Tina Salama said on X.
Among them is Marcel Malanga, 21, the son of opposition figure Christian Malanga, who led the foiled coup attempt that targeted the presidential palace in Kinshasa.
Also repatriated are Tyler Thompson Jr, 21, a friend of the younger Malanga who flew to Africa from Utah for what his family believed was a free vacation, and Benjamin Reuben Zalman-Polun, 36, who is reported to have known Christian Malanga through a gold mining company.
The news of their repatriation brought joy to their families. Thompson’s stepmother, Miranda Thompson, told The Associated Press that they did not have all the details on the return “but we’re so excited to have him on American soil again”.
When the US assumes custody of prisoners convicted abroad, it typically agrees to carry out the sentence of imprisonment designated by that country.
Lawyers for the repatriated Americans could try to get their sentences reduced by arguing they signed their consents to the prisoner transfer treaty under duress, said Jared Genser, a US-based international human rights lawyer.
“But it would be very hard to prevail in such a case as there would be enormous implications for other potential transfers in the future if the US failed to abide by such agreements,” Mr Genser said.
The repatriation came amid efforts by Congolese authorities to sign a minerals deal with the US in exchange for security support that will help Kinshasa fight rebels in the country’s conflict-hit east.
US President Donald Trump’s senior adviser for Africa last week confirmed the countries were in talks on the issue and said it could involve “multibillion-dollar investments”. The US has estimated the country has trillions of dollars in mineral wealth, much of it untapped.
“This decision is part of a dynamic of strengthening judicial diplomacy and international co-operation in matters of justice and human rights between the two countries,” the Democratic Republic of Congo’s presidency said Tuesday of the repatriation.
Dozens of others were convicted after the coup attempt, a majority of them Congolese but also including a Briton, a Belgian and a Canadian.
Charges included terrorism, murder, criminal association and illegal possession of weapons.
The fate of the others was not immediately clear.
The Democratic Republic of Congo had reinstated the death penalty last year, lifting a more than two-decade-old moratorium, as authorities struggle to curb violence and militant attacks.
Family members last year said the men slept on the floor at a high-security military prison in Kinshasa, struggling with health issues and having to pay for food and hygiene products.
