A British man has been sentenced to death after being convicted of participating in a coup attempt in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Youssouf Ezangi, a 53-year-old UK citizen of Congolese descent who worked as a plumber in London, was one of six foreign nationals handed “the harshest penalty” by a military court.
One Canadian, a Belgian and three US citizens were also among the among the 37 defendants found guilty on charges of attempted coup, terrorism and criminal association.
Six people were killed in the failed attempt to oust elected President Félix Tshisekedi, who has ruled the country of 109,000,000 people since 2019.
The botched coup’s leader, Christian Malanga, was shot dead by security forces soon after livestreaming the attack on the presidential palace on May 19.
Armed men under his commanded briefly occupied on office in the palace before the coup attempt was suppressed.
Malanga’s 21-year-old son Marcel, one of the US citizens, claimed his father coerced him and high school friend from Utah, Tyler Thompson, 21, to participate.
He told the court: “Dad had threatened to kill us if we did not follow his orders.”
This story was echoed by other participants, and by Marcel’s mother, Brittney Sawyer, who claims her son was innocent.
Mr Thompson said: “Christian had woken us up in the middle of the night dressed in a military uniform with a gun around his waist and said the military will arrive here shortly.
“The only thing he told me is that I must do everything as he says or else I will die.”
Christian Malanga, a little-known used car salesman who dabbled in gold mining, considered himself president of a shadow government in exile, Ms Sawyer said.
Mr Thompson and the younger Mr Malanga’s school football teammates claim Mr Malanga offered up to £76,000 for them to join him in a “security job” in Congo.
The DRC reinstated the death penalty earlier this year, fuelling hope that the British man and his co-defendants can appeal the open-air court’s ruling.
Richard Bondo, lawyer for the six foreign nationals, said: “We will challenge this decision on appeal.”
Mr Bondo also claimed the defendants had not been provided with adequate interpreters during the investigation.
They were given five days to appeal the verdict.
Foreign Office officials have tried to convince the DRC to drop plans to execute Mr Ezangi.
A spokesperson said: “We are providing 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.”
The third American has been named as Benjamin Reuben Zalman-Polun, a 36-year-old believed to have met Christian Malanga through a gold mining company.
