The military prosecution has sought life sentence for a group of 32 people led by Maj (Rtd) Habib Mudathiru, accused of plotting acts of terrorism against Rwanda. This was on Monday, December 7 at the Military High Court where prosecution was delivering their final submissions to court, ahead of the verdict. The group includes 25 militants who were extradited from Congo mid last year, and other collaborators who were arrested within the country and they include active servicemen of Rwanda Defence Force and civilians. Mudathiru was the head of operations of the P5 militia group, which is led by South Africa-based fugitive Kayumba Nyamwasa. The terror outfit was created out of a merger of several negative forces fighting Rwanda. According to prosecution, the suspects collectively face four charges that include treason, conspiracy against an established government or the President of the Republic. The other charges are maintaining relations with a foreign government intending to wage a war and formation of or joining a criminal group. There are however others who on top of these charges, face additional counts, including one who is accused of desertion while another is charged with espousing a genocide ideology. Last year, Mudathiru pleaded guilty to all charges against him and so did all the other members of the group. Many of his co-accused, especially those that were extradited with him from DR Congo, pinned Mudathiru on keeping them hostage, claiming that that he vowed to execute anyone who dared escape. Even though different charges carry different sentences on conviction, military prosecutor Captain Jacques Rugamba requested court to adhere to provisions of the criminal and penal code which states that if a defendant is convicted of more than one, and they all carry different sentences, the jail term is served concurrently. Therefore, he said, the court should choose the maximum sentence from all the charges for which the suspects will be convicted. According to prosecution conspiring against an established government or the President of the Republic carries life imprisonment, which he asked judges to sentence the suspects. Following the sentencing submission by prosecution, some of the suspects called for lenience, saying that they had learnt their lesson. Many of the suspect who gave their final submissions reflected on their over one year in detention, saying that they have been well taken care of throughout this period. The suspects will on Tuesday, December 8, continue giving their final submissions, before court announces the date of sentencing.
