A Rwandan appeal court has upheld a 25-year jail sentence for Paul Rusesabagina, who was in the movie “Hotel Rwanda” sheltering hundreds of people during the 1994 genocide, rejecting a bid to extend it to life in prison.
Rusesabangina, 67, 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.
