KIGALI, Rwanda
A court in Kigali will begin hearing the case of ‘Hotel Rwanda’ hero Paul Rusesabagina on Monday after prosecutors appealed against his 25-year prison sentence, saying it was “lenient”.
The
prosecution appealed against a September 20, 2021 that found Rusesabagina
guilty of eight charges following a seven-month long trial.
Rusesabagina
faced nine charges, including terrorism, murder, arson, abduction and forming
an armed rebel group.
The
crimes are linked to activities of the coalition of an exiled opposition group
Rusesabagina formed dubbed MRCD and its armed outfit FLN, which is linked to
the deadly 2018 and 2019 attacks in southern and western Rwanda.
Prosecutors
had sought a life sentence for the 67-year-old Rwandan native who also holds
Belgium citizenship and US permanent residence.
His
family and supporters rejected the case as politically motivated, and did not
appeal the verdict.
Rusesabagina
and his legal counsel boycotted the trial after he indicated he expected no
justice from the court.
He
protested the court’s refusal to allow him six months to prepare his defence
and be represented by his Belgian lawyer.
Rusesabagina,
a former hotelier-turned-political activist, rose to fame after a 2004
Hollywood movie, Hotel Rwanda, that depicted his heroic acts in
saving Tutsis during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
Callixte
Nsabimana, aka, Sankara, one of his 20 co-accused who is former spokesperson
and commander of the FLN rebels, was handed 20 years in prison, alongside seven
other convicts.
They
were found guilty of crimes, including being members of a terror group,
committing terror acts, mobilisation and illegal use of explosives.
Other
convicts were handed three to 10-year jail terms.
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