The Prosecution has filed a suit in the Supreme Court appealing against an eight years sentence handed to Victoire Ingabire. The New Times / File.
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Prosecution appeals Ingabire ruling
The
Prosecution has appealed the Supreme Court challenging the eight-year sentence
handed to Victoire Ingabire, the head of a yet to be registered political
party, FDU-Inkingi.
The High Court in October convicted Ingabire on two counts of Genocide denial, and conspiracy and planning to cause state insecurity, and was acquitted of four other charges that included genocide ideology, promoting ethnic divisionism and supporting armed groups.
According to the spokesperson of the Public Prosecution Authority, Alain Mukurarinda, the prosecution also appealed against the ‘lenient’ sentence handed to Ingabire’s four co- accused.
“There are some provisions of the Penal Code that we based on to file a suit against Ingabire in the first place, but the judge ruled them out, hence clearing Ingabire and the co-accused of the crime of creating an armed group, yet the co-accused have actually pleaded guilty on that particular crime,” Mukuralinda said.
The Court also cleared Ingabire on charges of genocide ideology saying that all the statements Ingabire made did not indicate that she was calling for genocide.
According to Mukuralinda, the judge ignored that there would be implications for crimes Ingabire may have committed at a later stage – another reason the prosecution based on to appeal.
