Paul Rusesabagina and Nsabimana Callixte ‘Sankara’, who were convicted of terrorism crimes, were released this Friday on the pardon of the President of the Republic, according to reliable sources reaching IGIHE. Rusesabagina and Nsabimana ‘Sankara’ are going to be released.
The High Court – the International and Cross-Border Crimes Chamber – in September 2021 sentenced Rusesabagina to 25 years in prison, and Nsabimana Callixte ‘Sankara’ to 20 years, after testifying to the crimes of terrorism related to the attacks carried out by the MRCD group/ FLN, on the outskirts of Nyungwe forest, in 2018/2019.
At that time, the MRCD-FLN was led by Rusesabagina, with Nsabimana as its spokesman. In those attacks, you killed 11 people, including three children. Many people were injured in these attacks, their property was destroyed and others were looted.
It is a case that was long overdue, as Nsabimana Callixte started the trial in May 2019.
Sources say that the decision to open them will be announced this Friday after the cabinet meeting. It was after Rusesabagina wrote to President Kagame asking for forgiveness and promising not to participate in these crimes again.
It is expected that they will be released from prison on Monday morning.
Sources say that Rusesabagina will immediately go to Qatar, and after a few days, he will continue to the United States of America where he has the right to live.
During his trial, Rusesabagina withdrew from the trial, saying that he did not believe that he would get justice. Even on appeal, he refused to attend the hearing.
Although the prosecution asked for a life sentence, the judge gave him 25 years because he was a first-time offender, as a mitigating factor. Nsabimaa’s sentence was reduced due to remorse, even facilitating justice.
This month, President Kagame announced that there are discussions on the issue of Rusesabagina so that he can be pardoned.
He announced this in his presentation at the Global Security Forum in Doha, Qatar.
President Kagame said that Rwanda’s history has shown that it is a country that wants to move forward, sometimes taking decisions that some felt were impossible. Rusesabagina and Nsabimana ‘Sankara’ are going to be released on the pardon of the President of the Republic.
He gave an example of how even those convicted of serious crimes such as the Genocide against the Tutsis, were pardoned and able to return to the Rwandan community.
He said, “There is something to be done because we are not closed-minded people who don’t want to go forward. If you go through our history, we have reached a point where we have given pardons for unforgivable crimes, people who participated in Genocide, etc. Many of them have been released, it is because of that sense of don’t want to be changed by history.”
Since Rusesabagina’s arrest, countries such as the United States of America, where he is a citizen, and Belgium, where he is a citizen, have continued to plead for his release. Rusesabagina and Nsabimana ‘Sankara’ are going to be released.
