Three Americans accused of involvement in last month’s coup attempt, along with dozens of other defendants, appeared before a military court on Friday in Kinshasa, the capital of Congo.
They were seated on plastic chairs, lined up before the judge as the hearing commenced. The proceedings took place in an open-air setting and were broadcast live on local television.
The botched coup attempt, led by little-known opposition figure Christian Malanga, occurred last month.
It targeted the presidential palace and a close ally of President Felix Tshisekedi.
Tragically, six individuals lost their lives during the incident.
Malanga, who live-streamed the attack on social media, was fatally shot by the Congolese army for resisting arrest shortly after the incident.
As the defendants appeared in court, they faced a range of charges, including terrorism, murder, and criminal association, many of which carry the death penalty.
Initially, there were 53 names on the defendant list.
However, Malanga and one other individual were removed from the list following the production of death certificates.