What a wild story. So some politician decides to stage a coup, fails, and then a researcher who seemingly had nothing to do with it gets arrested and sentenced to death on the basis of.... there's...
What a wild story. So some politician decides to stage a coup, fails, and then a researcher who seemingly had nothing to do with it gets arrested and sentenced to death on the basis of.... there's a picture of the two of them together from 8 years ago.
Anyone here have any insight into the current government of DR Congo or this New Zaire failed uprising? The coup sounds a bit ridiculous to me but I don't know enough about their government to judge. But bringing back the death penalty to punish 'traitors' sounds like a pretty authoritarian thing to do, as is arresting (and executing) a well-known researcher on seemingly bs charges.
It's not just that; the Americans seem to be the guy's son, whom he forced to come along, and a friend/former teammate or two, whom the son basically tricked into being security guards.
It's not just that; the Americans seem to be the guy's son, whom he forced to come along, and a friend/former teammate or two, whom the son basically tricked into being security guards.
Those convicted have five days to appeal against their sentences.
Death sentences have not been carried out in DR Congo for roughly two decades - convicts who receive the penalty serve life imprisonment instead.
The government lifted this moratorium in March this year, citing the need to remove "traitors" from the nation’s dysfunctional army. However, no death penalties have been carried out since.
Will the US government send any clandestine rescue missions, or will they give some blather about international sovereignty and let nature take its course?
Will the US government send any clandestine rescue missions, or will they give some blather about international sovereignty and let nature take its course?
Blather? Why is it the government's job to rescue people who travel to countries the US explicitly advises against traveling to? The State Department has a level 3 Travel Advisory for the DROC.
Blather? Why is it the government's job to rescue people who travel to countries the US explicitly advises against traveling to?
The State Department has a level 3 Travel Advisory for the DROC.
I'm comparing this to that guy who was arrested while on holiday in North Korea. They did try to get him back despite the obvious travel advisories but it didn't take the form of a special forces...
I'm comparing this to that guy who was arrested while on holiday in North Korea. They did try to get him back despite the obvious travel advisories but it didn't take the form of a special forces rescue heist, it was diplomacy.
If the article's claims that Marcel Malanga was threatened by his father to participate are true, I support the US reaching out in a diplomatic sense. I also support them reaching out on behalf of...
If the article's claims that Marcel Malanga was threatened by his father to participate are true, I support the US reaching out in a diplomatic sense.
I also support them reaching out on behalf of Tyler Thompson. His only link was Marcel, his friend, and his family claims he was only told he was going on a free vacation. Whether he knew about the coup in advance and didn't tell his family, I can't say. However, of the three Americans involved, he seems like the one with the least connection and the most likely to have been dragged into it against his will.
You could say that about a lot of things: Why is it the government's job to provide medical help people who engage in unhealthy lifestyle choices like smoking or overeating? Because it's our...
You could say that about a lot of things:
Why is it the government's job to provide medical help people who engage in unhealthy lifestyle choices like smoking or overeating?
Because it's our overarching control/support/management mechanism and people will always do things that aren't in there best interest.
There's a world of difference between "I have health problems because I go to McDonald's too much" and "I went to the DRC to get involved in the domestic politics of a famously unstable country...
Because it's our overarching control/support/management mechanism and people will always do things that aren't in there best interest.
There's a world of difference between "I have health problems because I go to McDonald's too much" and "I went to the DRC to get involved in the domestic politics of a famously unstable country which has had many many local conflicts and civil wars". The US obviously can't send special forces into every country to rescue every American who does something clearly stupid (whereas providing healthcare for everyone is very much within its capability).
Yeah, I don't disagree, I just think folks get pretty flippant about work/travel into "dangerous" countries. I'm not expecting or even wanting special forces sent into foreign nations, but I think...
Yeah, I don't disagree, I just think folks get pretty flippant about work/travel into "dangerous" countries. I'm not expecting or even wanting special forces sent into foreign nations, but I think it's fine to expect some simple diplomacy. I worked in Syria and Iraq during the expansion of ISIS and got to hear similar sentiment from folks pretty frequently.
Lines get drawn somewhere and the border is as good as any for that. If you choose to leave the country, you are subject to the whims of the country hosting you. The US government is undoubtedly...
Lines get drawn somewhere and the border is as good as any for that. If you choose to leave the country, you are subject to the whims of the country hosting you. The US government is undoubtedly reaching out trying to get them back now but, short of violating sovereignty, there's not much they can do if the Congo is not receptive.
What a wild story. So some politician decides to stage a coup, fails, and then a researcher who seemingly had nothing to do with it gets arrested and sentenced to death on the basis of.... there's a picture of the two of them together from 8 years ago.
Anyone here have any insight into the current government of DR Congo or this New Zaire failed uprising? The coup sounds a bit ridiculous to me but I don't know enough about their government to judge. But bringing back the death penalty to punish 'traitors' sounds like a pretty authoritarian thing to do, as is arresting (and executing) a well-known researcher on seemingly bs charges.
It's not just that; the Americans seem to be the guy's son, whom he forced to come along, and a friend/former teammate or two, whom the son basically tricked into being security guards.
Will the US government send any clandestine rescue missions, or will they give some blather about international sovereignty and let nature take its course?
Blather? Why is it the government's job to rescue people who travel to countries the US explicitly advises against traveling to?
The State Department has a level 3 Travel Advisory for the DROC.
They're American citizens.
So are the armed forces whose lives you'd risk by doing some kind of clandestine rescue effort.
I'm comparing this to that guy who was arrested while on holiday in North Korea. They did try to get him back despite the obvious travel advisories but it didn't take the form of a special forces rescue heist, it was diplomacy.
If the article's claims that Marcel Malanga was threatened by his father to participate are true, I support the US reaching out in a diplomatic sense.
I also support them reaching out on behalf of Tyler Thompson. His only link was Marcel, his friend, and his family claims he was only told he was going on a free vacation. Whether he knew about the coup in advance and didn't tell his family, I can't say. However, of the three Americans involved, he seems like the one with the least connection and the most likely to have been dragged into it against his will.
You talking about Otto Warmbier? They did give him back, but in the form of a vegetable.
https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/2023/09/27/north-korea-to-expel-solider-travis-king-of-racine-wisconsin/70978556007/
This kid sounds like more of a knucklehead than Otto. Who in their right mind defects to North Korea? Thanks for the article!
That doesn't seem to mean much anymore given recent events.
You could say that about a lot of things:
Why is it the government's job to provide medical help people who engage in unhealthy lifestyle choices like smoking or overeating?
Because it's our overarching control/support/management mechanism and people will always do things that aren't in there best interest.
There's a world of difference between "I have health problems because I go to McDonald's too much" and "I went to the DRC to get involved in the domestic politics of a famously unstable country which has had many many local conflicts and civil wars". The US obviously can't send special forces into every country to rescue every American who does something clearly stupid (whereas providing healthcare for everyone is very much within its capability).
Yeah, I don't disagree, I just think folks get pretty flippant about work/travel into "dangerous" countries. I'm not expecting or even wanting special forces sent into foreign nations, but I think it's fine to expect some simple diplomacy. I worked in Syria and Iraq during the expansion of ISIS and got to hear similar sentiment from folks pretty frequently.
Lines get drawn somewhere and the border is as good as any for that. If you choose to leave the country, you are subject to the whims of the country hosting you. The US government is undoubtedly reaching out trying to get them back now but, short of violating sovereignty, there's not much they can do if the Congo is not receptive.