Democratic Republic of Congo president Félix Tshisekedi has pardoned Marcel Malanga, an American national who was sentenced to death for a foiled coup attempt on Sunday, 19th May, 2024.
Malanga, 23, and 36 others co-accused and sentence to death earlier have since been commuted to life imprisonment thanks to Tshisekedi.
According to sources, Tshisekedi’s order to the Kinshasa/Gombe Military Court comes in light of an agreement reached between the government and the coup attempt perpetrators.
Malanga and his co-accused have been instructed to declare that their coup attempt had been in connection and the aid of the AFC/M23 rebel movement.
Malanga and his fellow American nationals and co-accused Taylor Christa Thomson and Zalman Polun Benjamin also benefit from the same measure, after paying the Tshisekedi government over US$5 million with the promise of being released after a certain period.
