An appeal court in Rwanda, has upheld a 25-year jail sentence for Paul Rusesabagina, the hero of the country’s 1994 genocide, rejecting a bid to extend it to life in prison.
Rusesabagina’s heroic acts were during the genocide that pitted the majority Hutu against the Tutsi, were portrayed in the movie “Hotel Rwanda” showing how sheltered hundreds of people during the massacre.
Now 67, Rusesabangina a critic of Paul Kagame, Rwandan president, was convicted in September on eight terrorism charges related to the activities of an organization opposed to President Paul Kagame’s rule, and is being held in Rwandan prison
He denied all the charges and refused to take part in the trial, which he and his supporters denounced as a politically-motivated sham.
He was not in court in Kigali yesterday to hear the decision from judge Emmanuel Kamere, who said there was no reason to extend his sentence.
“The 25-year sentence is equal to the severity of the crime he committed,” Kamere said.
Rusesabagina has acknowledged having a leadership role in the Rwanda Movement for Democratic Change (MRCD), but denied responsibility for attacks carried out by its armed wing, the National Liberation Front (FLN). The trial judges said the two groups were indistinguishable.
Prosecutors in February called the existing sentence too lenient, given the gravity of the charges and the impact of the alleged crimes.
His lawyers said they would consult before responding to the appeals court ruling.
“The trial should have never happened in the first place. My father was kidnapped and tortured. Everything that happened afterwards is theater,” Rusesabagina’s daughter, Carine Kanimba, told Reuters.
A government spokeswoman was not immediately available to comment, but Rwanda has firmly dismissed such allegations in the past.
Rusesabagina’s main co-accused Callixte Nsabimana, also known as Sankara, had his sentence reduced from 20 years to 15 years for his cooperation with authorities. (Reporting by Clement Uwiringiyimana; writing by Hereward Holland; Editing by Catherine Evans, Ed Osmond and Bernadette Baum)