Three Americans who were imprisoned in Kinshasa, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, have been returned to their home in the United States after having their death sentences related to their involvement in an attempted coup that was thwarted last year in 2024 commuted.
Around Tuesday of last week, President Felix Tshisekedi had pardoned their death sentence to life imprisonment for Marcel Malanga Malu, Tyler Tampson, and Zalman-Polun Benjamin Reuben.
As it is known, they had been sentenced to death in September 2024, confirmed by a military court on January 27, 2025, and the sentence became final on March 9 of this year.
A statement on Tuesday issued by President Felix Tshisekedi’s office indicated that their life sentences would be served in the U.S.
This occurred after Massad Boulos, a senior advisor to President Donald Trump on Africa, visited Kinshasa in the DRC last week and held discussions with President Felix Tshisekedi on issues including trade agreements concerning precious minerals and investment, although later the Kinshasa government canceled those agreements.
The Kinshasa statement regarding the three individuals who were imprisoned indicated that they were released on Tuesday morning at the request of the prosecution.
This operation, reports indicate, involved officials from military sectors, judiciary members, immigration authorities, and diplomats from the American embassy in Kinshasa.
The prisoners were escorted by security personnel to Ndjili International Airport, heading to America, where they will serve the remaining time of their sentences as stated in the announcement.
In September 2024, 37 people, including three Americans, a British national, a Belgian, and a Canadian, were sentenced to death after the court found them guilty of attempting to overthrow the Kinshasa government.
In total, 51 individuals were tried in military court, and their hearings were broadcast on national radio and television.
They are accused of launching an attack on May 19, 2024, on the presidential palace and the residence of Vital Kamerhe, the head of the Congolese National Assembly.
The leader of that attack, Christian Malanga from the DRC, who held United States citizenship, was killed in that attack, along with five others who were with him during the assault.
His son Marcel, one of the three Americans returned home, told the court that his father had threatened to kill him if he refused to participate in the attack.
Tyler Tampson was already a friend of Marcel.
Two of them, both around 20 years old. They played soccer in the state of Utah in America.
The third one, an American, Benjamin Zalman-Polun, worked in business with Christian Malanga.
