The Rwandan Court of Appeal confirmed on Monday the 25-year prison sentence for "terrorism" of opponent Paul Rusesabagina, rejecting the appeal of the prosecution who wanted a heavier sentence against the former hotelier made famous by the movie
Hotel Rwanda
.
“Given that he is a first-time offender, the court considers that his sentence should not be increased because the 25 years he has been granted are in line with the weight of his crimes and the court maintains his sentence,” said the judge François Regis Rukundakuvuga, after nearly seven hours of hearing.
Known to be a virulent opponent of Rwandan President Paul Kagame, Paul Rusesabagina was sentenced in September to 25 years in prison for "having founded and belonged" to the National Liberation Front (FLN), an armed group accused of having carried out deadly attacks in Rwanda in 2018 and 2019.
Boycott of the trial
The prosecution, which had requested life imprisonment, had appealed, wishing to see his sentence increased.
Prosecutors had also appealed the sentences – from 3 to 20 years in prison – imposed on his 20 co-defendants.
Paul Rusesabagina, 67, and his family have always denied these accusations and denounced a trial intended to muzzle an opponent.
He was not present Monday when the verdict was read.
His family, which continues to warn about his state of health, announced in mid-January that he "will not participate [it] in the staging of the appeal of a political prisoner".
The accused and his lawyers had already boycotted the majority of the first instance hearings, denouncing a "political" trial as well as ill-treatment in detention.
" Removal "
Paul Rusesabagina was made famous by the film
Hotel Rwanda
released in 2004 and which tells how this moderate Hutu who ran the Hotel Mille Collines in Kigali saved more than 1,000 people during the 1994 genocide, during which 800,000 people were killed , according to the UN, mainly from the Tutsi minority.
Opponent for more than twenty years to Paul Kagame, whom he accused of authoritarianism and of fueling anti-Hutu sentiment, Paul Rusesabagina used his Hollywood fame to give a global echo to his positions.
He had lived since 1996 in exile in the United States and Belgium, before being arrested in Kigali in August 2020 in troubled circumstances, when he got off a plane he thought was bound for Burundi.
His family denounced a "kidnapping" organized according to them by the Rwandan authorities.
The Rwandan government has admitted to having "facilitated the journey" of Paul Rusesabagina to Kigali, but asserted that his arrest was "lawful" and that "his rights have never been violated".
In March, the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention concluded that Paul Rusesabagina had been "kidnapped" and that his detention was "arbitrary", calling for his immediate and unconditional release.
Worrying health
The daughter of Paul Rusesabagina affirmed before the decision of the Court of Appeal that "this verdict rendered by a biased court under the orders of power had no legitimacy" and repeated that it was a " sham trial" intended to muzzle any opposition.
“Our focus is now entirely on our father's health.
My dad recently had a stroke in prison.
He now has partial facial paralysis.
(…) He is sick and in urgent need of medical treatment”, underlined Carine Kanimba, affirming: “Paul Kagame will kill him if we do nothing”.
The first instance conviction had aroused great concern in the international community.
Belgium, of which Paul Rusesabagina is a national, considered that he had "not benefited from a fair and equitable trial".
The United States, which awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2005, said it was "concerned" by this sentence.
In early October, MEPs called for his release for “humanitarian reasons” and his repatriation to Belgium.
To put pressure on Kigali, MEPs had also asked the European Commission for “a critical review of the aid provided by the European Union” to the Rwandan government and institutions.
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