By Clement Uwiringiyimana, KIGALI
Rwanda
A Rwandan court on Monday sentenced Paul Rusesabagina, a one-time hotel manager portrayed as a hero in a Hollywood film about the 1994 genocide, to 25 years in prison after he was convicted of terrorism charges.
Rusesabagina, 67, who was feted
around the world after being portrayed by actor Don Cheadle in the film
"Hotel Rwanda", is a vocal critic of President Paul Kagame. He denied
all charges and said he was kidnapped from Dubai this year to be put on trial.
His supporters called the trial a sham, and proof of Kagame's ruthless
treatment of political opponents.
"Rusesabagina ... is convicted
of being a member of a terror group and participating in terror activities but
he is acquitted of creating an illegal armed group," judge Antoine Muhima
said.
Prosecutors had sought a life
sentence for Rusesabagina on nine charges, including terrorism, arson, taking
hostages and forming an armed rebel group. He was convicted of eight charges.
Rusesabagina has acknowledged
having a leadership role in the Rwanda Movement for Democratic Change (MRCD), a
group opposed to Kagame's rule, but denied responsibility for violence carried
out by its armed wing, the National Liberation Front (FLN).
Twenty other defendants tried with
him included Callixte Nsabimana, popularly known as Sankara, a spokesman for
the FLN. He told the court Rusesabagina was not a member of the armed wing. But
judges said the two groups were indistinguishable, referring to them as the
MRCD-FLN. Nsabimana received 20 years.
Rusesabagina refused to take part
in the trial and has not appeared in court after attending the first few
hearings in a bright pink prison uniform, face mask and handcuffs.
The 2004 film depicted him risking
his life to shelter hundreds of people as manager of a luxury hotel in the
Rwandan capital Kigali during the 100-day genocide, when Hutu ethnic extremists
killed more than 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus.
Cheadle was nominated for an Oscar
and Rusesabagina received the Medal of Freedom - the highest civilian award -
from U.S. President George W. Bush in 2005.
Some genocide survivors accused
Rusesabagina of using their suffering to make himself look heroic.
"He dramatized his deeds in a
film and won awards he did not deserve," Naphtal Ahishakiye, the executive
secretary of genocide survivor organization Ibuka, told Reuters by phone.
Rusesabagina's family have
previously dismissed such comments as a smear campaign.
Rusesabagina used his fame to
highlight what he described as rights violations by the government of Kagame, a
Tutsi rebel commander who took power after his forces captured Kigali and
halted the genocide.
Rusesabagina’s father was Hutu and
his mother and wife were Tutsi. He became a Belgian citizen after the genocide
and lived in exile in the United States until last year.
In a video posted on YouTube in
2018, Rusesabagina called for armed resistance, saying change could not be
achieved by democratic means. The year before, Kagame had won re-election with
99% of the vote.
Rusesabagina's trial began in
February, six months after he arrived in Kigali on a flight from Dubai. His
supporters say he was kidnapped; the Rwandan government suggested he was
tricked into boarding a private plane.
Human Rights Watch said his arrest
amounted to an enforced disappearance, which it called a serious violation of
international law.
Kagame denies accusations of abuse
and has enjoyed support from Western donors for restoring stability and
boosting economic growth. Rights groups describe the Rusesabagina case as part
of a pattern of intimidating Kagame's political opponents.
"The ruling Rwandan Patriotic
Front (RPF) continued to target those perceived as a threat," said a
report last year by Human Rights Watch, which also detailed arbitrary
detention, ill-treatment and torture.
Carine Kanimba, Rusesabagina's
daughter, said the family knew what the verdict would be.
"He was denied access to his
lawyers, international legal team, even his Rwandan lawyers, he has limited
access to them and then he was held in solitary confinement for 250 days,"
she said.
Rusesabagina's Rwandan lawyer said
they would meet him to find out if he wished to appeal. He accused Rwandan
authorities of intercepting legal documents and denying him access to an
international team.
Both Belgium and the United States
criticised the trial.
"Mr Rusesabagina did not
receive a fair and equitable trial, particularly with regard to the rights of
the defence," Belgian Foreign Minister Sophie Wilmes said in a statement.
U.S. State Department spokesman Ned
Price said "the reported lack of fair trial guarantees calls into question
the fairness of the verdict."
Faustin Nkusi, spokesman for the
Rwandan prosecution, insisted the trial was fair, Rwanda was experienced in
holding high profile trials and that defendants had plenty of time to prepare. -
Reuters
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