The actor in the ‘Hotel Rwanda’ movie has been jailed in a Rwandan court for 25 years of being linked to a terrorist group. The hero in the movie “Hotel Rwanda”, where he saved his countrymen from genocide in 1994, was convicted of terrorism offenses, which watchdogs and critics view as a retaliation from Kagame government.
Paul Rusesabagina is credited for saving more than 1000 Tutsi by sheltering them in a hotel he managed during the 1994 genocide. He was awarded the US President medal of freedom for such a kind act that saved many people’s lives.
Paul was tricked and kidnapped in Dubai and flown to Rwanda, where he was directly taken into custody. He was charged along with 20 other people of being a terrorist group member, which was involved in abduction and murder. The charges against him are being a member of an illegal terrorist group, murder, abduction and robbery with violence.
Rusesabagina was denied an opportunity to hire his own lawyers. His health is also worsening attracting international concerns for the 67-year-old, who left Rwanda in 1996. The denial by government to let him hire his own lawyers compromised his efforts to sufficiently defend himself in court.
Rusesabagina testified in court that he helped form the opposition political movement: Rwandan Movement for Democratic Change, which was unfortunately involved in attacks in 2018 and 2019 resulting death of nine people. He claimed that he was innocent, since he was not directly or indirectly involved in the attacks.
The move by Rwandan courts to jail Rusesabagina has drawn criticism internationally from US State Department and Amnest international. The trial was marred with unfairness aimed at jailing him to silence his criticism of the Rwandan government.