Rwanda’s government has commuted the sentence of Paul Rusesabagina, the man who inspired the film “Hotel Rwanda” and was convicted on terrorism charges in 2021.

Government spokeswoman Yolande Makolo told The Associated Press on Friday that the 25-year sentence was commuted by presidential order after a request for clemency. Rusesabagina, a U.S. resident and Belgian citizen, is expected to be released on Saturday, she said.

“Rwanda notes the constructive role of the U.S. government in creating conditions for dialogue on this issue, as well as the facilitation provided by the state of Qatar,” Makolo told The AP.

The U.S. designated Rusesabagina as “wrongly detained,” and said that “the reported lack of fair trial guarantees calls into question the fairness of the verdict.” The civil rights activist denied all the charges and refused to take part in the trial that he and his supporters called a political sham, Reuters reported.