This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-20138698
The article has changed 2 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
Previous version
1
Next version
Version 0 | Version 1 |
---|---|
Rwandan opposition leader Victoire Ingabire jailed | Rwandan opposition leader Victoire Ingabire jailed |
(35 minutes later) | |
Rwandan opposition leader Victoire Ingabire has been found guilty at her treason trial and sentenced to eight years in jail. | Rwandan opposition leader Victoire Ingabire has been found guilty at her treason trial and sentenced to eight years in jail. |
The prosecution had requested a life sentence for the charges of threatening state security. | The prosecution had requested a life sentence for the charges of threatening state security. |
The court also found her guilty of "belittling" Rwanda's 1994 genocide. | The court also found her guilty of "belittling" Rwanda's 1994 genocide. |
Ingabire was not in court to hear the verdict as she has been boycotting the trial, saying it is politically motivated. | Ingabire was not in court to hear the verdict as she has been boycotting the trial, saying it is politically motivated. |
The Unified Democratic Forces leader was arrested in April 2010 and was barred from standing in elections later that year. | |
The BBC's Prudent Nsengiyumva in the capital, Kigali, says her lawyer, the deputy UDF leader and a number of her supporters were in court. | |
They were stunned by the verdict, expecting her to receive a life sentence, our reporter says. | |
She had also faced terrorism charges, but these were dropped during the two-year trial. | |
The UDF has 30 days to appeal against the verdict. | |
Ingabire, a Hutu, returned from exile in the Netherlands in January 2010 - and has been in jail since her arrest. | |
She has questioned why Rwanda's official memorial to the 1994 genocide does not include any Hutus. | |
Most of the 800,000 people killed were ethnic Tutsis but Hutu moderates were also slaughtered by the Hutu extremists. |
Previous version
1
Next version