A Burundian appeals court on Monday handed down life prison sentences to 21 people who had been implicated in a failed coup attempt in May 2015, according to dpa. They included a general and a colonel who had been acquitted by a lower court, said one of the defence lawyers, Fabien Segatwa. Five of the 28 people on trial were sentenced to up to two years in prison, while two were acquitted. Those found guilty were ordered to pay 6 billion Burundian francs (3.8 million dollars) in damages to families of those killed during the coup attempt, injured victims and a broadcaster whose premises were destroyed. The coup attempt followed rioting against President Pierre Nkurunziza, who announced last year that he would seek a third term in office despite a constitutional two-term limit.
