Three Americans sentenced to death in Congo over failed coup

Bangkok Post Group

Three U.S. citizens were sentenced to death by a military court on Friday for their role in a failed coup in the Democratic Republic of Congo. - REUTERS

Transcript

00:00Three U.S. citizens were among 37 defendants sentenced to death by a military court on

00:06Friday for their role in a failed coup in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

00:12Armed men briefly occupied an office of the presidency on May 19, before their leader,

00:18U.S.-based Congolese politician Christian Malanga, was killed by security forces.

00:24His son, Marcel Malanga, was among the Americans on trial, along with Marcel's friend Tyler

00:31Thompson, who played high school football with him in Utah.

00:35Both are in their 20s.

00:36The third American, Benjamin Zelman Palloune, was a business associate of Christian Malanga.

00:42All three were found guilty of criminal conspiracy, terrorism and other charges, and sentenced

00:48to death in a ruling read on live TV.

00:52Malanga had previously told the court that his father had threatened to kill him unless

00:57he participated.

00:58He also told the court it was his first time visiting Congo at the invitation of his father,

01:04whom he had not seen in years.

01:06The Americans are among some 50 people, including U.S., British, Canadian, Belgian and Congolese

01:12citizens standing trial following the failed coup.

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