Rwandan court docket upholds ‘Hotel Rwanda’ hero’s 25-year sentence

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 in the course of 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 an organisation 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 mentioned there was no cause to increase his sentence.

“The 25-year sentence is equal to the severity of the crime he committed,” Kamere mentioned.

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 mentioned the 2 teams had been indistinguishable.

Prosecutors in February referred to as the prevailing sentence too lenient, given the gravity of the fees and the affect of the alleged crimes. His legal professionals mentioned they’d seek the advice of earlier than responding to the appeals court docket ruling.

“The trial should have never happened in the first place. My father was kidnapped and tortured. Everything that happened afterwards is theatre,” Rusesabagina’s daughter, Carine Kanimba, advised Reuters.

A authorities spokeswoman was not instantly accessible to remark, however Rwanda has firmly dismissed such allegations previously.

Rusesabagina’s most important co-accused Callixte Nsabimana, also referred to as Sankara, had his sentence decreased from 20 years to fifteen years for his cooperation with authorities.