37 persons—three of whom were Americans—were given the death penalty by a military court in the Democratic Republic of the Congo on Friday after being found guilty of taking part in a coup attempt. On allegations of attempted coup, terrorism, and criminal association, the defendants—the most of them are Congolese, although there are also British, Belgian, and Canadians among them—have five days to appeal the decision.
The trial of the alleged coup plotters started in june this year and a total of 14 individual were found guilty.
In an effort to reduce violence and terrorist attacks, Congo lifted a moratorium on the death penalty that had been in place for more than 20 years earlier this year. According to the nation's penal code, the president may choose the mode of execution. The firing squad has been used in the past to execute militants in the Congo