Paul Rusesabagina (69), the Rwandan folk hero on whom the Hollywood film Hotel Rwanda is based, will be released on Saturday. A government source reports this to Reuters news agency. Rusesabagina is serving a 25-year prison sentence on terrorism charges.
Rusesabagina was convicted in September 2021 for his ties to an organization opposed to Paul Kagame’s rule. Rusesabagina denied all allegations. He and his supporters called the trial a political sham.
In a letter to President Kagame, he asked for a pardon. He seems to be getting it now. After his release, Rusesabagina will first be flown to Doha, the capital of Qatar. He will then travel to the United States, according to Reuters. Rusesabagina holds a US residence permit.
Genocide
Rusesabagina is a hero in his own country. During the Rwandan genocide of 1994, he saved nearly 1300 people from certain death by sheltering them in his hotel Mille Collines. His story was the inspiration for the movie Hotel Rwanda (2004).
The former hotel manager has been detained in the capital Kigali since the end of August 2020. He was on a plane that would take him to Burundi for a speaking engagement. Rusesabagina was handcuffed in flight and transferred to Kigali. There he was imprisoned and, according to sources, tortured.
Leading role
Rwandan authorities say he aids Hutu rebels. Rusesabagina has a leading role in the opposition and regularly criticizes President Kagame’s government. But he denies responsibility for attacks by his party’s armed wing.
International law organizations were highly critical of the process. Various parliaments, including the European Parliament, and Belgium, through Minister Sophie Wilmès, also say that Rusesabagina has not had a fair trial. The United States said earlier that he was “unjustly detained.”
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