Rwandan opponent Paul Rusesabagina, who inspired the film “Hotel Rwanda” about the Tutsi genocide, arrived in Qatar on Monday after spending more than 900 days in prison in his country, diplomatic sources said.
The opponent, 68, will undergo medical examinations in Doha before leaving on Wednesday for the United States, where he is a permanent resident, detailed the sources.
Rusesabagina was sentenced in Rwanda to 25 years in prison for terrorism, but his sentence was commuted by President Paul Kagame under an agreement between the United States and Rwanda with the help of Qatar.
Rusesabagina – who was a hotel manager in the Rwandan capital, Kigali – is credited with helping 1,200 people escape the 1994 Rwandan genocide. moderate Hutu. His story inspired the film “Hotel Rwanda”, nominated for an Oscar in 2005, which gave him notoriety.
Rusesabagina was arrested after a trial that his supporters criticized as a “farce” and said the trial was riddled with irregularities. He was accused of supporting the National Liberation Front (FLN), an insurgent group blamed for attacks in Rwanda in 2018 and 2019.
Rusesabagina denies any involvement in the attacks, but is one of the founders of the Rwandan Movement for Democratic Change (MRCD), an opposition group of which the FLN is considered the armed wing. Negotiations for his release began at the end of 2022 and made significant progress last week, following discussions between President Kagame and the emir of Qatar, according to a source close to the case.
#Hotel #Rwanda #hero #arrives #Qatar #release #ISTOÉ #DINHEIRO