A military court in Congo sentenced 37 individuals, including three Americans, to death on Friday for participating in a coup attempt.
The charges include attempted coup, terrorism, and criminal association.
Most of the convicted are Congolese, though the group includes individuals from the U.S., Britain, Belgium, and Canada.
The defendants have five days to appeal the verdict. Fourteen people were acquitted during the trial, which began in June.
The Americans, wearing prison uniforms, appeared calm as their sentences were announced by the court in Kinshasa.
Their lawyer, Richard Bondo, challenged the death sentences and criticized the quality of interpretation during the trial.
The coup attempt in May, led by Christian Malanga, targeted President Felix Tshisekedi’s palace.
Malanga, who livestreamed the attack, was killed while resisting arrest.
His son, Marcel Malanga, and two other Americans were convicted for their roles in the incident.
The U.S. State Department acknowledged the verdict but has not declared the Americans wrongfully detained.
Families of the convicted, particularly Tyler Thompson’s relatives in Utah, are working with U.S. officials to appeal the sentences.
Congo reinstated the death penalty earlier this year, with executions historically carried out by firing squad.
