Three American citizens, including a Jewish man from Washington, D.C., have been sentenced to death by a military tribunal in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) for their alleged involvement in a failed coup attempt earlier this year.
The verdict, handed down last week, implicates the Americans among 37 individuals facing capital punishment for participating in the botched May 19 uprising.
Benjamin Reuben Zalman-Polun, identified as the Jewish American, is a father of three originally from the Washington, D.C. area. Reportedly a business associate of the coup's ringleader, Zalman-Polun had previously been a member of the Washington Hebrew Congregation, a Reform synagogue, before relocating to South Africa with his family several years ago.
The attempted coup, parts of which were livestreamed, resulted in the death of six individuals, including the Congolese political exile who led the armed group. Congolese security forces apprehended the three Americans, along with dozens of others, as they attempted to flee the presidential complex via the Congo River.
During the trial, the American defendants claimed their statements were coerced and obtained without the presence of an interpreter.
U.S. Ambassador to the DRC, Lucy Tamlyn, swiftly condemned the coup attempt and the alleged involvement of American citizens when the news first broke in May. The U.S. embassy pledged full cooperation with Congolese authorities in their investigation.
The DRC reinstated the death penalty earlier this year. The convicted men are expected to appeal their sentences this week.
The JNS contributed to this article.
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