Commutation by Presidential Order of prison sentences of Paul RUSESABAGINA

Following approval by Cabinet on 24 March 2023, and in accordance with Art. 228 of the Law on Criminal Procedure, the prison sentences of Paul RUSESABAGINA, Callixte NSABIMANA and others convicted of various offences have been commuted by Presidential Order, after consideration of their requests for clemency.

Under Rwandan law, commutation of sentence does not extinguish the underlying conviction. If any individual benefitting from early release repeats offences 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. Other penalties imposed by the Court, such as compensation owed to victims, are not affected by this commutation and thus remain in force. Statement by the Minister of Justice and Attorney General

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