The High Court Chamber for International and Cross Border Crimes has announced it will deliver its verdicts in the case involving Paul Rusesabagina and 20 co-accused on August 20, 2021. Rusesabagina was the leader of MRCD, a coalition of political groups that led FNL, a militia group. FLN is responsible for incursions into Rwanda between 2018 and 2019 during which people were killed, others wounded and property looted. The suspects are accused of playing various roles in the attacks that took place in Nyamagabe, Rusizi and Nyaruguru districts, leaving at least nine people dead. The sentences that the prosecution sought against the accused vary depending on the gravity of the crimes in question. For instance, it requested a life sentence against Rusesabagina, the political head of the coalition in question while the least sentence sought was 20 years for different suspects. During the hearing held on Thursday, July 22, presiding judge Antoine Muhima said that they had provided enough time to prosecution and the accused to make their submissions, and that the hearings were held smoothly. Appearing before the court earlier in the day, Angeline Mukandutiye, the only woman among the suspects, admitted and confessed to the crime of sensitising women to join FLN, but said that the recruitment criteria were set by the commandants of the armed group. Mukandutiye, who said she is 70-year-old now, told judges that she was misleading into supporting the group which she did not know was committing terror activities. She said that the objectives set in the manifesto of the creation of CNRD-Ubwiyunge – which later joined MRCD - led her to support it, indicating that they stipulated that the party sought the establishment of an inclusive Government working for the development and prosperity of all Rwandans. Prosecution had sought 20-year-prison term against her, but she pleaded to the court to reduce the sentence. Jean-Chrétien Ndagijimana, a son to ‘General’ Wilson Irategeka, the founding commander of FLN militia group, maintained he was conscripted into the outfit against his will. Ndagijimana said the prosecution argued that he did not provide evidence that his father coerced him to join the military, but he argued that the prosecution did not give evidence to prove him wrong, either. The evidence I can show to the court on this is that there are witnesses in this case who indicated to the court how young people were conscripted into the militia group. My father conscripted me to set an example to other parents, he told court. Prosecution requested a sentence of 20 years in prison for crimes of being an illegal outfit and a terrorist group. I should not be handed such a sentence ... because I had no other option, he said, adding that he did not play any role in the attacks carried out on the Rwandan territory. He requested to be sent for civic education training and be reintegrated into the community, promising that he will work with other Rwandans to develop the country and encourage other youth in armed groups to return home. Meanwhile, regarding compensation for damages caused by the attacks, the survivors of the attacks through their lawyers requested that it should be a collective responsibility. This is because some of the accused said that they should not be liable for the damages caused by the attacks carried out in some parts of the country by FLN claiming that they did not have a direct involvement in the attacks, while others said that they do not have means to pay the indemnities demanded by the victims. It is to note that the FLN attack victims are demanding a total of more than Rwf1.6 billion as compensation from the perpetrators. Apart from Rusesabagina who boycotted the trial mid-way after claimed that he would not get fair trial because court had turned down his request to delay the trial by months without justification, the other suspects in the case were present during the entire trial. The trial, whose substantive phase began in February, had all its sessions livestreamed on different platforms including the official YouTube channel of the judiciary.
