Prosecutors seek death penalty for 50 defendants in DR Congo 'coup' trial
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00:00On Tuesday, the prosecutor in a military tribunal into an attempted coup in DR Congo
00:05requested the death penalty for most of the defendants.
00:0851 defendants are on trial in the capital Kinshasa for the events of May 19th,
00:12when dozens of people, led by the now deceased Congolese political exile Christian Malanga,
00:17tried to overthrow the government.
00:19The attempted coup failed, with Malanga as well as several innocent people ending up killed.
00:24Among the defendants now on trial are three Americans,
00:28among whom is Malanga's own son, as well as one British, one Canadian and one Belgian citizen.
00:34The military prosecutor said on Tuesday that almost all of the defendants,
00:38including the foreign nationals, should be sentenced to death for their alleged role in the crimes.
00:43The lawyer representing the Congolese government in the case
00:46told us that the request for capital punishment is appropriate.
00:53What kind of country is this where children go to get instruction somewhere else?
00:57They get brainwashed elsewhere.
01:01And then they come here and take up arms against their own country.
01:10The prosecutor has just recommended sentences which are severe.
01:17But it's up to the tribunal to rule on the sentence that is appropriate for each offense.
01:24The prosecutor has also demanded that the defendants pay a massive $250 million in damages.
01:30After the defense pleads its case, the judges in the military tribunal will convene to decide the penalty.
01:35But the case could drag on, as any decision is almost certain to be appealed.