Over 50 defendants, including six holding U.S., British, Canadian, or Belgian citizenship, stood trial in the Democratic Republic of Congo on Friday, facing charges related to a failed coup and other serious offenses that could result in the death penalty.
On May 19, armed men briefly seized a presidential office in Kinshasa before security forces killed their leader, U.S.-based Congolese politician Christian Malanga.
Among the defendants are Malanga’s 22-year-old son, Marcel Malanga, two other U.S. citizens, and three individuals holding foreign passports, all of Congolese descent.
The military trial commenced in a tent set up in the yard of Ndolo military prison on the outskirts of Kinshasa.
Dressed in blue and yellow prison uniforms, the defendants lined up before the judge as the trial began.
All 53 defendants face charges including illegal arms possession, criminal conspiracy, terrorism, and attempts to destabilize state institutions and undermine state integrity. These charges carry the possibility of the death penalty or lengthy prison sentences.
The court session involved identifying the defendants and reading the charges, but no pleas were entered.
In March, Congo lifted its moratorium on the death penalty, citing ongoing issues of treachery and espionage in armed conflicts as the justification.
Richard Bondo, the lawyer for U.S. detainee Benjamin Zalman-Polun, stated it was too early to discuss possible extradition, emphasizing the presumption of innocence.
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