In a statement issued by the Ministry of Justice shedding light to the commutation of the prison sentences of Paul Rusesabagina, Callixte Nsabimana alias Sankara and others, the ministry indicated that penalties imposed by the Court, such as compensation owed to victims will remain in force. ALSO READ: Rusesabagina, Sankara to be released on presidential pardon Rusesabagina and Nsabimana were key leaders of the FLN, a terror group responsible for a series of attacks in southwestern Rwanda, where at least nine people were killed, others injured, and property looted. They are expected to be released starting Saturday, March 25. “Under Rwandan law, commutation of a sentence does not extinguish the underlying conviction. If any individual benefitting from early release repeats offenses of a similar nature, the commutation can be revoked and the remainder of the prison sentence will be served, in accordance with the conditions specified in the Presidential Order,” the statement reads in part. A ruling by the Court of Appeal averred that the convicts would jointly pay Rwf412 million in reparations to the survivors and families of the victims of FLN acts of terror. ALSO READ: Profiles of victims of MRCD-FLN attacks Rusesabagina, who was arrested in August 2020, was sentenced to 25 years by the High Court’s Chamber for International and Cross-Border Crimes, which was upheld by the Court of Appeal. The Statement from the Ministry adds in part that: “Other penalties imposed by the Court, such as compensation owed to victims, are not affected by this commutation and thus remain in force. The FLN assailants also attacked another bus, owned by Omega Express that was bound for Rusizi, from Kigali. The two buses were set on fire. Nine people were killed on spot, and one died of injuries, later. ALSO READ: Rusesabagina’s 25-year jail term upheld, Nsabimana reduced to 15 The Nyungwe incident in Nyamagabe District was one of the attacks by the FLN, which also targeted Nyabimata in Nyaruguru District, Rusizi District. Meanwhile, the statement also indicated that three other people, Ronaldo Bill Rutayisire, Justin Nsengiyumva, and Ephraim Rwamwenge were also granted presidential pardon. Their cases were not related to Rusesabagina. The President also exercised his prerogative of mercy to release from prison 358 individuals convicted of various offenses.
