A Rwandan court on Monday found Paul Rusesabagina, a one-time hotel manager portrayed as a hero in a Hollywood film about the 1994 genocide, guilty of being part of a group responsible for terrorist attacks.
Judges were still going through a number of other accusations against Rusesabagina and 20 other defendants during a lengthy reading of a verdict. They were expected to pronounce sentence later on Monday.
Rusesabagina, 67, who was feted around the world after being portrayed by actor Don Cheadle in the film "Hotel Rwanda", is a vocal critic of President Paul Kagame. He has denied all charges and said he was kidnapped from Dubai this year to be put on trial. His supporters called the trial a sham, and proof of Kagame's ruthless treatment of political opponents.
Prosecutors have sought a life sentence for Rusesabagina on nine charges, including terrorism, arson, taking hostages, and forming an armed rebel group which he directed from abroad.
Rusesabagina has acknowledged membership in the Rwanda Movement for Democratic Change (MRCD), a group opposed to Kagame's rule but denied responsibility for violence carried out by its armed wing, the National Liberation Front (FLN).
Other defendants tried with him include Callixte Nsabimana, popularly known as Sankara, who was a spokesman for the FLN and told the court Rusesabagina was not a member of the armed wing.
The judges said the two groups were indistinguishable, referring to them as the MRCD-FLN.
"They should be found guilty for being part of this terror group," judge Beatrice Mukamurenzi said of the defendants.
