Three American citizens have been sentenced to death in Congo after being convicted on charges of participating in a coup attempt, with one telling a court that his father — who led the failed effort — "had threatened to kill us if we did not follow his orders," Azernews reports citing FoxNews.

A lawyer representing 21-year-olds Marcel Malanga and Tyler Thompson Jr. and 36-year-old Benjamin Reuben Zalman-Polun, is now planning to appeal the verdict following the botched attack orchestrated by Malanga’s father, Christian Malanga, in May that targeted the presidential palace and a close ally of President Felix Tshisekedi.

"We have seen that a military court in the Democratic Republic of Congo sentenced a number of defendants, including U.S. citizens, to death for alleged involvement in the May 19th attacks against the government," State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said Friday. "We understand that the legal process in the DRC allows for defendants to appeal the court's decision. Embassy staff have been attending these proceedings ... We'll continue to attend the proceedings and follow the developments closely."

When asked if he thought the court process was fair, Miller responded, "I don't want to pass judgment on the proceedings so far, because we are still in the middle of the legal process."