A Rwandan who used his YouTube channel to criticise the government has been sentenced to seven years in prison by a court in Kigali.
Dieudonne Niyonsenga is just the latest government critic with a YouTube audience to be jailed in the tightly controlled East African nation, ruled by the same leader for nearly three decades.
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“We are appealing this verdict against Niyonsenga with immediate effect. It is simply not right,” his lawyer Gatera Gashabana said on Friday.
Niyonsenga, whose YouTube channel Ishema TV had amassed more than 15 million views, was found guilty on Thursday on four charges including forgery, impersonation, and “humiliating” state officials.
“The court finds that the crimes Niyonsenga is accused of were committed intentionally,” the judge said in delivering the verdict and a fine of five million Rwandan francs ($4,900).
“Due to the adverse consequences that his crimes have had on Rwandan society, the court orders that Dieudonne Niyonsenga be immediately arrested and taken to serve his jail sentence.”
Niyonsenga was not present in court and shortly after the verdict, the YouTube star was arrested.
“It is true that Dieudonne Niyonsenga was arrested yesterday in execution of the court judgment. He is in the process of being transferred” to prison, Thierry Murangira, spokesman for the Rwanda Investigation Bureau, told AFP.
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Niyonsenga, better known by his YouTube persona Cyuma, which means “Iron”, was known for discussing human rights abuses on his channel.
