Rusesabagina has left Rwanda after getting freed from prison
Mike Brest
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Human rights activist Paul Rusesabagina, whose actions inspired the Hollywood film Hotel Rwanda about the country’s 1994 genocide, has left the country after being released over the weekend.
He was sentenced to 25 years in prison in Rwanda on terrorism charges in 2021 but it was commuted by presidential order after a request for clemency.
RWANDA TO FREE PAUL RUSEABAGINA, MAN BEHIND HOTEL RWANDA, GOVERNMENT SAYS
“I can confirm that Paul Rusesabagina has left Rwanda and is currently in Doha,” National Security Council coordinator John Kirby told reporters on Monday. “He will soon be making his way back to the United States. And his family is, as I’m sure no one is surprised, they’re eager to welcome him back here, home.”
In 2020, the Rwandan authorities lured him on an aircraft he thought was heading to Burundi but landed in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda. He was subsequently arrested and convicted on eight charges that include membership in a terrorist group, murder, and abduction, but the circumstances surrounding his arrest drew international attention.
Rusesabagina has claimed his arrest was in response to his criticism of President Paul Kagame over alleged human rights abuses, which the government has repeatedly denied.
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“I welcome today’s release of Paul Rusesabagina by the Government of Rwanda. Paul’s family is eager to welcome him back to the United States, and I share their joy at today’s good news,” President Joe Biden said in a statement. “I thank the Rwandan Government for making this reunion possible, and I also thank the Government of Qatar for facilitating Paul’s release and return to the United States. I add my gratitude to those across the U.S. Government who have worked with the Government of Rwanda to achieve today’s happy outcome.”
Rusesabagina hid hundreds of Tutsi guests from Hutu death squads at the hotel he managed during the country’s genocide in 1994. His actions inspired the 2004 movie Hotel Rwanda featuring Don Cheadle.