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The Court of Appeal confirmed this Monday, April 4, the verdict which had been rendered, at first instance, once morest the hero of the Hollywood film Hotel Rwanda for acts of terrorism. A setback for the Rwandan prosecution who had appealed and who had once once more requested life imprisonment.
With our correspondent in Kigali, Laure Broulard
The Court of Appeal considered that there was no reason to increase the sentence of Paul Rusesabagina because it is the first time that he has been prosecuted and that the 25 years in prison, decided in first instance, correspond to the seriousness of his crime, said Judge Emmanuel Kamere.
Once once more, the verdict was read in the absence of the main defendant. Because since the beginning of the procedure, Paul Rusesabagina boycotts the hearings. He had not appealed his conviction.
Today, his relatives denounce a verdict without any legitimacy, rendered by a justice under orders and intended to frighten all critics of Paul Kagame. They sound the alarm regarding the opponent’s health.
► To read also: Rwanda: the verdict of the appeal trial of opponent Paul Rusesabagina known on Monday
This Monday followingnoon, the Court of Appeal also ruled on the other appeals filed in this case. Twenty people were indeed sentenced last September alongside Paul Rusesabagina for their links with the FLN, a rebel group which claimed responsibility for several attacks in Rwanda in 2018 and 2019. Callixte Nsabimana, a former spokesperson for the movement, has his side saw his sentence reduced from 20 to 15 years.
25 years, these are the same problems for which the Rwandan authorities had initiated a trial, here, by the Belgian authorities. The Belgian authorities nevertheless carried out an investigation which lasted more than a year. We never arrested Mr. Rusesabagina.
Vincent Lurquin, lawyer for Paul Rusesabagina
