IBUKA-a genocide Survivors body, has protested against High Court sentencing of 8-year jail term handed to Victoire Ingabire.
IBUKA argues that High Court ignored the gravity of the offences for which Ingabire was convicted.
Dr. Jean Pierre Dusingizemungu, the president of IBUKA, called on the prosecution to file an appeal to challenge the verdict at the Supreme Court.
“Eight years is a petty sentence considering that all the crimes she was convicted of, especially trivialising the Genocide were premeditated. The speech she made at Kigali Memorial Centre was clearly planned,” said Dusingizemungu.
Dr. Dusingizemungu said, “Ingabire chose the most sensitive place in the country to mock the Genocide survivors, she deserves the toughest punishment that would act as a warning to whoever tries to minimize the genocide.”
Part of the basis of the court to give Ingabire a lenient sentence was a letter she wrote to the President asking for clemency.
However, according to Dusingizemungu, the consultations made by IBUKA clearly indicated and proved that Ingabire did not ask for pardon from the President, and that her letter was shoddy in a way that she did not clearly indicate the addressee.
Ingabire’s letter was addressed to “The Highest Authority of Our Country,” he said.
Newtimes
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