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Court Refuses to Extend Prison Term of Hotel Rwanda Hero

Paul Rusesabagina, the man portrayed as a hero in the movie Hotel Rwanda, should not have his 25-year sentence extended to life in prison, a Rwandan court has ruled.

Rusesabagina was convicted in September 2020 on eight counts of terrorism, for his role in a group that opposes President Paul Kagame.

He said that he was a leader in the Rwanda Movement for Democratic Change but had no role in the group's armed wing, the National Liberation Front, which has carried out attacks in Rwanda.

Rusesabagina refused to testify in the September 2022 trial, calling it a sham, and was not present at the ruling.

Prosecutors called the 25-year sentence too lenient. His family has lobbied for his release, saying that he is ill.

Rusesabagina saved approximately 1,200 people by sheltering them in a hotel during the country's 1994 genocide, which saw over 800,000 people killed between April 7 to July 15, 1994, reports Voice of America.

InFocus

Dan Nsengiyumva/New Times

Paul Rusesabagina (file photo).

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