Thirty-seven men, including six foreigners, have been sentenced to death in Congo earlier this month, September 2024, over an attempted coup d’état last May. The military trial which began in June originally had 51 convicts, of which 14 have since been acquitted. The remaining convicts will be among the first to face the death penalty in Congo, following its reinstatement after 20 years of moratorium, and were given just five days to appeal the sentence.
This photo captures the first hearing of the trial which began in June. Source: Arsene Mpiana
The accused are said to have participated in an attack in the early hours on the 19 of May in the capital city of Kinshasa. Dressed as militants, it is said they first targeted the home of Vital Kamerhe, parliamentary speaker and close ally of President Felix Tshisekedi, whose presidential palace was the second target. The attack was led by Christian Malanga, a US national of Congolese origin, who was an exiled DRC (Democratic Republic of the Congo) politician. Malanga live-steamed this attack and later was reportedly shot dead while resting under arrest.
The son of Christian Malanga, Marcel Manlanga, 21, is one of three Americans convicted and told the court that his father would kill him if he refused to participate. The mother of the young Malanga, Britney Sawer claims that her son is innocent and just following his father who viewed himself as the “head of a shadow government in exile.”
Marcel Malanga is seated in the open-air courtroom in Ndolo Military Prison. Source: Telemundo
Another foreigner in this trial Jean-Jaques Wondo, a dual Belgian and Congolese citizen is described as a prominent researcher on regional politics and security by the human rights watch. The evidence connecting him to the coup is described as “paper thin” by Flemish aid and development agency Broederlijik Delen who also claims that “his arrest was political.” Wondo’s lawyers suspect that his arrest, which came two days after the ‘coup’, is retaliation for refusing an offer from the regime to reform intelligence services.
The political situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo has a long history of instability. The country has been marked by lasting conflict since the period of its independence from Belgium in 1960, which gave way to many cases of political upheaval, and authoritarian rule. A recent factor contributing largely to the DRC’s continued state of political fragility is the resurgence of the March 23 Movement, known as M23, which has been fighting and gaining more territory in the eastern part of the country since 2022.
Tension has spread to the disputed elections last December president Tshisekedi was elected for a second term where he won 78% of the vote. Some believe that the president is using the trial as a way to target people he feels threatened by his power like Mr.Wondo.
President Tshisekedi at the inauguration ceremony in Kinshasa, for his second term in office. Source: Africanews Guylian Kipoke
The ultimate outcome of the trial remains uncertain as the six foreigners including three Americans, Canadian, Belgian, and Brit have appealed the verdict and respective foreign affairs are aware of the situation. Less information is available on whether the 31 Congolese nationals have also filed for an appeal as the media is primarily reporting on the foreigners in the case. The Human Rights Watch called on the authorities in Congo to ensure that this trial meets international standards and allow it to serve as a demonstration of their commitment to human rights and the rule of law. From what has been observed of the trial thus far, whether human rights and the rule of law are being truly upheld is questionable, while what is certain, however, is that the world is watching.
Featured image: The three US citizens in the Congolese coup trial, from left; Benjamin Zalman-Polun, Marcel Malanga, and Tyler Thompson, are 3 of 35 men sentenced to death. Source: Reuters
