KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — The three Americans convicted on charges of participating in a botched coup attempt in Congo last year have been repatriated to the United States days after their death sentences were commuted to life imprisonment, Congo's presidency said Tuesday.
The three will serve their sentences in the U.S. following the repatriation done in collaboration with the U.S. Embassy, Congolese presidential spokesperson Tina Salama said on X. The presidency said they left Tuesday morning.
Among the three was 21-year-old Marcel Malanga, son of opposition figure Christian Malanga, who led the foiled coup attempt that targeted the presidential palace in Kinshasa.
Also repatriated were Tyler Thompson Jr., 21, a friend of the younger Malanga who flew to Africa from Utah for what his family believed was a free vacation, and Benjamin Reuben Zalman-Polun, 36, who is reported to have known Christian Malanga through a gold mining company.
The U.S. Embassy in Kinshasa did not immediately comment. The Associated Press was not immediately able to confirm the three Americans' location.
The news of their repatriation brought joy to families. Thompson’s stepmother, Miranda Thompson, told the AP they didn't have all the details on his return “but we’re so excited to have him on American soil again.”
Their pardon and repatriation came amid efforts by Congolese authorities to sign a minerals deal with the U.S. in exchange for security support that will help Kinshasa fight rebels in the country's conflict-hit east.
“This decision is part of a dynamic of strengthening judicial diplomacy and international cooperation in matters of justice and human rights between the two countries,” Congo’s statement read.
Dozens of others had been convicted after the coup attempt, a majority of them Congolese and also including a Briton, a Belgian and a Canadian. Charges included terrorism, murder, criminal association and illegal possession of weapons.
The fate of the others was not immediately clear Tuesday.
Congo had reinstated the death penalty last year, lifting a more than two-decade-old moratorium, as authorities struggle to curb violence and militant attacks in the country.
Family members last year said the men slept on the floor at a high-security military prison in Kinshasa, struggling with health issues and having to pay for food and hygiene products.
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Associated Press journalist Hannah Schoenbaum in Salt Lake City, Utah, contributed.
Associated Press, The Associated Press
