A British citizen is among 37 people who have been sentenced to death in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) after being found guilty of an attempted coup in the central African country. A foreign office spokesperson told Sky News they are giving consular assistance to “a British man detained in DRC” and are in contact with the local authorities. “We have made representations about the use of the death penalty to the DRC at the highest levels, and we will continue to do so.” (Photo: Brit Marcel, centre).

Three US citizens, a Belgian and a Canadian were also among those sentenced, along with several Congolese. Judge Major Freddy Ehuma, speaking at an open-air military court in Kinshasa that was broadcast live on television, said they had been given “the harshest penalty, that of death”. The defendants have five days to appeal their verdicts after being convicted on charges that included terrorism, murder and criminal association. Fourteen people were acquitted in the trial, which opened in June.

Six people were killed during the attempted coup in May, which was led by Christian Malanga, a little-known opposition figure. The rebels occupied DRC President Felix Tshisekedi’s office in the presidential palace for almost an hour before they were arrested, mediacongo.net said. Mr Malanga was fatally shot while resisting arrest soon after live-streaming the attack on his social media, the Congolese army said. Mr Malanga’s 21-year-old son, Marcel, who is a US citizen, was convicted, along with fellow Americans, Tyler Thompson Jr and Benjamin Reuben Zalman-Polun.

Marcel Malanga’s mother Brittney Sawyer has said her son is innocent and was simply following his father, who believed himself to be president of a shadow government in exile. Mr Thompson Jr flew from Utah with Mr Malanga for what his family believed was a holiday. Mr Zalman-Polun, 36, is reported to have known Christian Malanga through a gold mining company set up in Mozambique in 2022. Mr Thompson Jr’s family said he didn’t know what Christian Malanga was scheming and wasn’t even planning to enter the DRC.

The British citizen has not been named. Earlier this year, the DRC reinstated the death penalty after more than 20 years amid growing violence and militant attacks. Despite that, Richard Bondo, the lawyer who defended the six foreigners, said he disputed whether the death penalty could be imposed and said his clients had inadequate interpreters during the investigation. He said they would appeal.

Courtesy: Sky News