WEST JORDAN, Utah (KeynoteUSA) — A Utah family whose son was involved in a foiled coup in the Congo said they are not sure if he is alive as they fight to get U.S. officials to contact him and two other Americans. weeks after his arrest. .
Tyler Thompson Jr., 21, flew to Africa in April with his former high school football teammate, Marcel Malanga, 21, for what his family believed was a vacation, with all expenses paid by him. Marcel’s father. But the itinerary could have included more than sightseeing. Other teammates alleged that Marcel had offered up to $100,000 to accompany him on a “security job” in the Congo.
Christian Malanga, who considered himself president of a shadow government in exile, livestreamed his attack in Kinshasa on May 19. He shows his Utah-born son carrying an assault rifle next to him, surrounded by dozens of armed men in military uniforms. him as he threatens President Félix Tshisekedi from inside the presidential palace. Tyler could not be seen on the livestream, but other videos circulating on social media show him tied up and bloodied as Congolese soldiers arrest the Americans.
The eccentric coup leader was shot dead after resisting arrest, the Congolese army said. In total, six people were killed and dozens arrested following that attack and another on the president’s close ally, Vital Kamerhe, Congolese army spokesman Brig. General Sylvain Ekenge said.
A spokeswoman for the U.S. embassy in Congo, Monica Shie, said Thursday that they had not yet gained access to the American prisoners and did not know when they would appear in court.
As weeks pass with no evidence of life, Tyler’s parents fear that he may have succumbed to illness (he contracted malaria early in the trip) or that he may suffer brain damage from one of the many blows to the head seen in videos that circulated on social networks. They are racing to find a credible lawyer in the Congo while urging US officials to consider him unjustly detained.
“We need the embassy people to push harder,” Tyler’s stepfather, Jason Higbee, said in an interview with The KeynoteUSA at a family home in the Salt Lake City suburb of West Jordan, Utah.
The family also turned to Utah’s elected leaders, including its governor and senators, but a foreign affairs expert said they face great difficulties as the State Department tends to be conservative in intervening on behalf of American citizens accused of crimes. so serious. The offices of Sens. Mitt Romney and Mike Lee did not immediately respond to phone messages seeking comment.
Jared Genser, an international human rights lawyer who has represented Americans imprisoned abroad, said Tyler, Marcel and the third American prisoner, Benjamin Reuben Zalman-Polun, are unlikely to return home anytime soon.
“I can’t imagine any scenario in the near term in which the United States government would advocate for his release,” Genser said. Unless the narrative changes dramatically, “the United States is going to say this is not a case we can get involved in.”
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken condemned the attack and offered to help Congo in its investigation.
The failed coup attempt came at a difficult time for Tshisekedi’s ruling party. Days after the attack on Kamerhe’s residence, the national assembly elected him president, a crucial step in forming a government after December elections.
Tyler’s family maintains that he had no knowledge of Malanga’s father’s intentions, no plans for political activism, and did not even plan to enter the Congo; they were meant to travel only to South Africa and Eswatini, formerly known as Swaziland, his stepmother, Miranda. Thompson said.
The Thompsons hope that Tyler can be tried as an individual, separate from Marcel or the others.
Marcel’s mother, Brittney Sawyer, said her son is innocent and had simply followed his father. She has not responded to multiple interview requests.
Passing a box of tissues on Thursday, Tyler’s parents and step-parents broke into smiles as his 6-year-old brother, Miles, ran around the living room dressed as a superhero, assuring them that he was forming a superhero team to bring his brother home. .
Rebecca Higbee said she received many happy photos and phone calls from her son at the beginning of the trip and had no reason to believe it was anything more than a normal vacation. She even read Christian Malanga’s Wikipedia page before leaving and said he seemed like a “great guy.”
“I honestly thought it was going to be a great growing experience for him,” he said. Now it is “every mother’s nightmare.”
Disco balls, piñatas and helium tanks from the Thompsons’ party planning business (Tyler and Marcel’s workplace) filled the entryway of the family home.
Tyler had plans to open his own construction company when he returned from Africa, said his father, Tyler Thompson Sr. His biggest fear is that his son won’t be able to make those dreams come true.
Two weeks without embassy contact is worrying, Genser said, but not entirely unusual in emerging democracies. The State Department strongly advises against travel to the Congo and warns that its ability to provide emergency consular services is “extremely limited.”
Families must be relentless in demanding that the embassy gain quick access, Genser said, as prolonged incommunicado detention can protect against torture or ill-treatment.
“We feel helpless not being able to talk to him,” Tyler’s father said through tears. “There’s no proof he’s alive yet, so we’re taking the day hour by hour.”
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