Xavier Roger
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Rwanda’s government has freed Paul Rusesabagina, who inspired the film “Hotel Rwanda” after saving hundreds of people during the nation’s genocide but was imprisoned years later for terrorism.
U.S. officials said late Friday that Rusesabagina, who had been sentenced in 2021 to 25 years in prison after a widely criticized trial, has been moved to the official residence of Qatar’s ambassador to Rwanda in the capital city of Kigali. In all he was detained for 939 days.
Rusesabagina, a U.S. resident and a Belgian citizen, will be moved to the United States in coming days, said senior U.S. administration officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
Rwanda’s government commuted the sentence of Rusesabagina and the sentences of 19 others on Friday. Government spokeswoman Yolande Makolo told The Associated Press the order by President Paul Kagame was issued after a request for clemency but stressed that, under Rwandan law, commutation doesn’t “extinguish” the conviction.
“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,” she said. Kagame earlier this month said discussions were under way on resolving the issue.
Rusesabagina’s release came after months of dialogue involving top U.S. officials, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken and White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan. Blinken discussed the case with Kegame during a visit to Rwanda last fall, the administration officials said.
Rusesabagina sentenced to 25 years:‘Hotel Rwanda’ hero sentenced to 25 years on terror charges
An alleged kidnapping
Rusesabagina was credited with sheltering more than 1,000 ethnic Tutsis at the hotel he managed during Rwanda’s 1994 genocide in which over 800,000 Tutsis and Hutus who tried to protect them were killed. He received the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom for his efforts.
He became a public critic of Kagame and left Rwanda in 1996, first living in Belgium and then the U.S.
Rusesabagina disappeared in 2020 during a visit to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates and appeared days later in Rwanda in handcuffs. His family alleged he was kidnapped and taken to Rwanda against his will to stand trial.
Rusesabagina was accused of supporting the armed wing of his opposition political platform, the Rwandan Movement for Democratic Change. The armed group claimed some responsibility for attacks in 2018 and 2019 in southern Rwanda in which nine Rwandans died.
Rusesabagina was convicted on eight charges including membership in a terrorist group, murder and abduction. But the United States and others described the case against him as unfair.
Rusesabagina has asserted that his arrest was in response to his criticism of Kagame over alleged human rights abuses. Kagame’s government has repeatedly denied targeting dissenting voices with arrests and extrajudicial killings.
The circumstances surrounding his arrest, his limited access to an independent legal team and his reported worsening health drew international concern.
As the news spread on Friday, Rusesabagina’s family in a statement said that “we are pleased to hear the news about Paul’s release. The family is hopeful to reunite with him soon.”
Contributing: The Associated Press
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