By: Kobina Baidoo
Fifty individuals, including three Americans, accused of a coup attempt earlier this year are facing prosecution in a Congolese court, where they may be sentenced to death.
The coup attempt led by the little-known opposition figure Christian Malanga in May reportedly targeted the presidential palace and a close ally of President Felix Tshisekedi. The coup led to the death of six people.
Malanga was fatally shot for resisting arrest soon after live-streaming the attack on his social media, the Congolese army said.
The defendants, whose trial opened in June 2024, face a number of charges, many punishable by death, including terrorism, murder and criminal association.
According to report, the military court judges’ decision is continually fuelled by urgings of Military prosecutor Lieutenant Colonel Innocent Radjabu to sentence to death all those on trial, except for one defendant who suffers from “psychological problems.”
The death penalty recently got reinstated in Congo after being banned for over two decades. The move by the country’s judicial system counts as parts of the nation’s efforts to curb violence and militant attacks in the country.