Jew among Three Americans Sentenced to Death over Failed Congo Coup

Benjamin Reuben Zalman-Polun is a Washington, D.C. native and father of three.

By JNS

Three U.S. citizens, one of whom is Jewish, are facing the death penalty for their role in a failed coup in Democratic Republic of Congo this spring.

The three men are among 37 people sentenced to death last week by a military tribunal in the central African nation for participating in the bungled May 19 attempt to overthrow the government.

The leader of the armed group, a Congolese political exile and longtime U.S. resident, was among six people shot dead during the thwarted attack, parts of which were livestreamed.

Congolese security forces subsequently caught the three Americans, along with dozens of others, on the banks of the nearby Congo River, trying to flee the presidential complex.

The three U.S. citizens testified that their statements had been extracted under duress, and without the presence of an interpreter.

The Jewish citizen convicted has been identified as Benjamin Reuben Zalman-Polun, a Washington, D.C.-area native and father of three.

Zalman-Polun, who was reportedly a business associate of the ringleader of the coup, had been a past member of a Reform synagogue in the U.S. capital, the Washington Hebrew Congregation, before relocating to South Africa with his family several years ago.

U.S. Ambassador to the Democratic Republic of the Congo Lucy Tamlyn had immediately condemned the coup and the involvement of American citizens.

“I am shocked by the events of this morning and deeply concerned by reports of U.S. citizens allegedly being involved,” Tamlyn tweeted back in May. “Please be assured that we will cooperate with DRC authorities to the fullest extent possible as they investigate these criminal acts and hold accountable any US citizens implicated in criminal acts.”

The death penalty was reinstated in the African country earlier this year.

The men are expected to appeal their sentencing this week.