A Rwandan appeals court docket on Monday upheld a 25-year jail sentence for Paul Rusesabagina, who was portrayed within the film “Hotel Rwanda” sheltering a whole lot of individuals throughout the 1994 genocide, rejecting a bid to increase it to life in jail.
Rusesabagina, 67, was convicted in September on eight terrorism costs associated to the actions of a corporation against President Paul Kagame’s rule, and is being held in a Rwandan jail.
He has denied all the fees and refused to participate within the trial, which he and his supporters denounced as a politically motivated sham. He was not in court docket in Kigali on Monday to listen to the choice from decide Emmanuel Kamere, who stated there was no cause to increase his sentence.
“The 25-year sentence is equal to the severity of the crime he committed,” Kamere stated.
Rusesabagina has acknowledged having a management function within the Rwanda Movement for Democratic Change (MRCD), however denied duty for assaults carried out by its armed wing, the National Liberation Front (FLN).
The trial judges stated the 2 teams had been indistinguishable.
Prosecutors in February referred to as the present sentence too lenient, given the gravity of the fees and the influence of the alleged crimes. His attorneys stated they might seek the advice of earlier than responding to the appeals to the court docket 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, advised Reuters.
A authorities spokeswoman was not instantly accessible to remark, however Rwanda has firmly dismissed such prior to now.
Rusesabagina’s predominant co-accused Callixte Nsabimana, often known as Sankara, had his sentence decreased from 20 years to fifteen years for his cooperation with authorities.
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With inputs from TheIndianEXPRESS
