Paul Rusesabagina, the man whose actions during the Rwandan genocide inspired the Hollywood film, ‘Hotel Rwanda,’ has lost his appeal against a 25-year prison sentence for a terrorism conviction arising from events in 2018.
Rusesabagina was found guilty on charges of terrorism last year, following attacks by the National Liberation Front (FLN) in 2018, a body which Rusesabagina allegedly had ties to.
Nineteen other people were also found guilty on the charges and their appeals were also dismissed. The sentence of Callixte Nsabimana, a former spokesman for the FLN, was reduced from 20 to 15 years.
Prosecutors wanted to have Rusesabagina’s sentence extended to life but this was rejected by the appeal court.
Rusesabagina, a prominent critic of President Paul Kagame and his government, had lived outside Rwanda since 1996.
In 2020 Rusesabagina had thought he was travelling to speak in Burundi but the aircraft took him to Rwanda, where he was brought to trial.
Rusesabagina rose to fame after a movie was made about his actions to save the lives of Tutsis during the Rwandan genocide. The actor who played Rusesabagina, Don Cheadle, was nominated for an Oscar for his portrayal of the Rwandan.