On Tuesday, prosecutors in the Democratic Republic of Congo sought the death penalty for 50 defendants, including three Americans, accused of involvement in an alleged coup plot.
Lieutenant Colonel Innocent Radjabu, a military prosecutor, urged the judges to consider the death penalty for all those involved in the alleged coup attempt in May, except for one defendant.
The alleged coup involved an attack on the home of Economy Minister Vital Kamerhe, followed by an assault on the nearby Palais de la Nation, where President Felix Tshisekedi’s offices are located.
Security forces managed to thwart the attempted coup, which was reportedly orchestrated by Christian Malanga, a Congolese man who was a “naturalised American” and was killed by security forces.
The group on trial at the Kinshasa military court includes three Americans, including Marcel Malanga, the son of Christian Malanga, a Belgian, a Briton, and a Canadian, all of whom are naturalised Congolese.
The trial commenced on June 7 at the Ndolo military prison, where the defendants are currently being held. The charges levelled against them include “terrorism, illegal possession of weapons and munitions of war, attempted assassination, criminal association, murder, and financing of terrorism,” as stated in a court document.