American Tyler Thompson Jr, center, sits in court in Kinshasa, Friday, June 7, 2024. Three Americans accused of a role in last month's attempted coup in Congo appeared in court in Kinshasa on Friday, among a total of 53 defendants who were lined up on plastic chairs before the judge on the first day of the hearing.
Marcel’s mother, Brittney Sawyer, has said her son is innocent and had simply followed his father. Sawyer had regularly posted proud family photos on social media, including one in December showing Marcel, a young sister and a toddler hugging in matching Christmas pajamas. Zalman-Polun, who in 2015 pleaded guilty to trafficking marijuana, is reported to have known Christian Malanga through a gold mining company that was set up in Mozambique in 2022, according to an official journal published by Mozambique’s government, and a report by Africa Intelligence newsletter.
A prominent Belgian-Congolese researcher on political and security issues, Jean-Jacques Wondo, also appeared at the court on Friday. It was unclear what evidence was held against him. Human Rights Watch said it had consulted with Wondo for years on research, and his only link to Malanga appears to be an old photo.