Three United States citizens initially sentenced to death in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) over a botched coup attempt have been repatriated after Kinshasa commuted their death sentences to life imprisonment last week.

Congolese presidential spokesperson Tina Salama said on Tuesday that the three men, including the son of political exile Christian Malanga, who led the attack on the presidential palace in May last year, would all serve out their life sentences in the US.

Marcel Malanga, 21, claimed he had been forced to take part by his father, who live-streamed from the palace during the coup attempt before being shot and killed by Congolese forces.

Also repatriated were Tyler Thompson Jr, 21, a friend of the younger Malanga, and Benjamin Reuben Zalman-Polun, 36, who reportedly got to know the father through a gold mining company.

US Department of State spokesperson Tammy Bruce confirmed the transfer on Tuesday, saying that the US condemned the armed attacks and supported DR Congo’s bid to hold the convicts accountable, but that it also sought “consistent, compassionate, humane treatment and a fair legal process”.