June 8th 2024.
On a sunny Friday morning in the bustling capital of Congo, Kinshasa, a military court was abuzz with activity. The court was hearing a case involving three American citizens who were accused of being involved in a failed coup attempt that took place last month. The three defendants, along with several others, were lined up on plastic chairs before the judge as the proceedings began.
The open-air military court was a spectacle, with the local television channel broadcasting the hearing live for the whole country to see. The failed coup attempt, led by a relatively unknown opposition figure named Christian Malanga, had resulted in six deaths. Malanga himself was fatally shot by the Congolese army after he resisted arrest and live-streamed the attack on his social media.
The defendants were facing serious charges, some of which carried the death penalty. These included terrorism, murder, and criminal association. The court had initially listed 53 names for the trial, but Malanga's name and another person's name were removed from the list after their death certificates were produced.
Among the defendants was Malanga's 21-year-old son, Marcel Malanga, who is a US citizen, and two other Americans. They had all requested an interpreter to translate the proceedings from French to English. Marcel was the first to be questioned by the judge, who asked him to confirm his name and other personal details. However, the military official chosen to translate for him seemed to struggle with English, leading to confusion and frustration. Eventually, a journalist was chosen to replace the translator, but even he had difficulty with numbers and details of the proceedings.
Marcel spoke up, requesting a different interpreter who could understand English better. But unfortunately, no other translator was available, and the defendants had to make do with the journalist from national radio. Marcel appeared frustrated and defiant as the interview continued.
Another defendant, 21-year-old Tyler Thompson Jr, had flown to Africa from Utah with Marcel for what his family believed was a paid vacation. The two young men had played high school football together in the suburbs of Salt Lake City. However, other teammates accused Marcel of offering up to $100,000 to join him on a "security job" in Congo.
Tyler appeared before the court with a shaved head and sores on his skin, looking nervous and lost. He confirmed his name and personal details, while his stepmother, Miranda Thompson, expressed regret that their family couldn't be present for the hearing. She also revealed that they had only recently found out about the trial and hoped to be present for future court dates.
Tyler's family had been worried about his well-being, as they had no proof that he was still alive until this week. Miranda had feared that he might not even know that his family was aware of his arrest. The US Embassy in Congo had yet to provide consular services for the American prisoners before the trial, and they did not respond to a request for comment on Friday.
The third American on trial was 36-year-old Benjamin Reuben Zalman-Polun. He was seen seated in the back row and was the last to be interviewed. He confirmed that he was not married and had three children. The Associated Press was unable to reach his family for comment. Zalman-Polun had a previous conviction for marijuana trafficking in 2015 and was reported to have known Christian Malanga through a gold mining company in Mozambique.
Another person who appeared in court was Jean-Jacques Wondo, a prominent Belgian-Congolese researcher on political and security issues. It was unclear what evidence the court had against him, but Human Rights Watch stated that he should either be charged with a criminal offense or released. They also expressed concern about the arrest being based on an old photo of Wondo with Malanga in 2016.
The defendants will appear in court again next Friday as the trial continues. Meanwhile, the families of Marcel and Tyler are independently crowdfunding for legal expenses and travel funds to be present for the rest of the trial. They remain worried about their sons' health, with Marcel suffering from a liver disease and Tyler previously contracting malaria during the trip.
As the trial unfolds, the families hope for justice and to bring their sons back home. Marcel's mother, Brittney Sawyer, wrote on her crowdfunding page that her main goal each day is to bring her son home. The families also hope for a fair trial and for the truth to come to light.
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