The Helsinki Court of Appeals on Friday denied genocide convict Pastor Francois Bazaramba’s request for early release from his life imprisonment citing the seriousness of his crimes.

Bazaramba is serving a life sentence since his conviction in 2012 for his role in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

Following his arrest in 2007, lengthy investigations and subsequent trials, Bazaramba was found guilty of killing several people, ordering the killing of seven Tutsis and inciting massacres.

The Court of Appeal hearing his request for early release ruled that he had not met the conditions for early release at this stage.

Bazaramba arrived in Finland in 2003 and sought asylum. He is one of several genocide convicts serving sentences in Nordic Countries.