A court in Rwanda’s capital, Kigali, has sentenced a former head of President Paul Kagame’s security unit to three years in prison “for stealing a mobile phone”.
Mr. Tom Byabagamba, the former head of security unit to President Paul kagame, has been sentenced to three years in prison for stealing a mobile phone.
He was already serving a 15-year prison sentence for disrespecting the national flag, insurrection and endangering state security.
The court heard that he planned to use the phone to escape from prison but Mr Byabagamba maintained that all the charges were trumped up.
Following Tuesday’s ruling, he will now serve 18 years in total.
In 2016, a military court handed him a 21-year sentence, which was later commuted on appeal.
Mr. Byabagamba denied the theft accusation in court saying that he was not the kind of person to steal such an “insignificant object”.
He admitted that being caught up in possession of a phone was in violation of prison regulations, but shouldn’t warrant a prison sentence.
Mr. Byabagamba told the court that his troubles started when his older brother and former senior adviser to the president fled the country and became a vocal critic of President Kagame’s government.
A number of human rights organizations have accused the Rwandan government of not tolerating opposition and suppressing freedom of speech, which it has consistently denied.
