Paul Rusesabagina

Paul Rusesabagina
Rusesabagina in 2006
Born (1954-06-15) 15 June 1954 (age 70)
Murama, Kigali, Ruanda-Urundi
NationalityRwandan
CitizenshipBelgium[1]
Alma materKenya Utalii College
Political partyPDR-Ihumure,[2] Movement for Democratic Change
Spouses
  • Esther Bamurage (div.)
​
​
(m. 1989)​
Awards

Paul Rusesabagina (Kinyarwanda: [ɾusesɑβaɟinɑ];[3][4] born 15 June 1954) is a Rwandan human rights activist. He worked as the manager of the Hôtel des Mille Collines in Kigali, during a period in which it housed 1,268 Hutu and Tutsi refugees fleeing the Interahamwe militia during the Rwandan genocide.[5] None of these refugees were hurt or killed during the attacks.[6]

An account of Rusesabagina's actions during the genocide was later depicted in the film Hotel Rwanda in 2004, in which he was portrayed by American actor Don Cheadle.[7] The film has been the subject both of critical acclaim and controversy in Rwanda.[8][9]

On the back of newly found international fame, Rusesabagina embarked on a successful career as a public speaker, mostly touring universities in the United States.[10] He campaigns for the Hotel Rwanda Rusesabagina Foundation, which he founded in 2006.[3][11] He holds Belgian citizenship and a U.S. green card and has homes in Brussels, Belgium and San Antonio, Texas.[1] Since fleeing Rwanda in 1996, he has become a prominent critic of Paul Kagame and the RPF government.[12][13][14] He founded the PDR-Ihumure political party in 2006, and is currently President of the MRCD.[4][15][16]

On 31 August 2020, believing he was taking a chartered flight to Burundi from Dubai, he arrived in Kigali, where he was arrested on nine charges of terrorism that related to his association with the FLN (National Liberation Front), the armed wing of PDR-Ihumure, who claimed responsibility for terrorist attacks in 2018 that killed at least nine people.[17][18]

On 20 September 2021, he was convicted on terrorism charges and sentenced to 25 years in prison.[19] The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention rendered its opinion on 18 March 2022 that Rusesabagina had been illegally kidnapped, tortured, and sentenced after an unfair trial. The Working Group further found that Rusesabagina has been targeted by the government on account of his work as a human rights defender, because of his criticism of the government on a broad range of issues.

In 2023, after serving two years in Mageragere Prison, Rusesabagina's sentence was commuted by the Rwandan president.[20]

  1. ^ a b Abdi Latif Dahir (31 August 2020). "'Hotel Rwanda' Hero, Paul Rusesabagina, Is Held on Terrorism Charge". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 13 January 2021. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
  2. ^ Maurice Izabayo (18 December 2012). "'Le Héros d'Hôtel Rwanda dévoile la stratégie de son parti politique à Bruxelles". Jambo News. Archived from the original on 29 September 2020. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
  3. ^ a b "'Hotel Rwanda' Manager: We've Failed To Learn From History". National Public Radio. 5 April 2014. Archived from the original on 22 July 2021. Retrieved 21 February 2015.
  4. ^ a b "Paul Rusesabagina, Rwanda's hotel " (13 November 2013), by Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times
  5. ^ Zeliger, Robert (27 June 2011). "Smear campaign against hero of "Hotel Rwanda"?". Foreign Policy. Archived from the original on 5 February 2021. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  6. ^ "The story of Hôtel des Mille Collines". The New Times | Rwanda. 6 April 2013. Archived from the original on 5 February 2021. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  7. ^ Hotel Rwanda (2004) – IMDb, archived from the original on 20 February 2021, retrieved 18 January 2021
  8. ^ "Hotel Rwanda: history with a Hollywood ending". The Guardian. 7 August 2014. Archived from the original on 5 February 2021. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  9. ^ "Paul Rusesabagina's heroic role in Hotel Rwanda in controversy among Rwandan media – Xinhua | English.news.cn". xinhuanet.com. Archived from the original on 27 January 2021. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  10. ^ "Paul Rusesabagina Archives". BYU Speeches. Archived from the original on 14 September 2018. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  11. ^ ProPublica, Mike Tigas, Sisi Wei, Ken Schwencke, Brandon Roberts, Alec Glassford (9 May 2013). "Hotel Rwanda Rusesabagina Foundation Inc – Nonprofit Explorer". ProPublica. Archived from the original on 27 January 2021. Retrieved 18 January 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  12. ^ Asiimwe, Arthur (4 April 2007). ""Hotel Rwanda" hero in bitter controversy". Reuters. Archived from the original on 5 February 2021. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  13. ^ Dahir, Abdi Latif (31 August 2020). "'Hotel Rwanda' Hero, Paul Rusesabagina, Is Held on Terrorism Charge". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 13 January 2021. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  14. ^ "Hotel Rwanda hero: Rwanda is a volcano waiting to erupt - CNN.com". cnn.com. Archived from the original on 11 June 2010. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  15. ^ "Paul Rusesabagina has the right to a fair trial". www.amnesty.org. 14 September 2020. Archived from the original on 15 September 2020. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  16. ^ Stephanie Busari (26 September 2020). "Paul Rusesabagina of 'Hotel Rwanda' appears in court again seeking bail after arrest on terrorism charges". CNN. Archived from the original on 26 September 2020. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  17. ^ Munyaneza, James (2 October 2020). "Victims of MRCD-FLN attacks in southern Rwanda". The New Times. Archived from the original on 30 October 2020. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
  18. ^ Dahir, Abdi Latif; Walsh, Declan; Stevis-Gridneff, Matina; Maclean, Ruth (18 September 2020). "How the Hero of 'Hotel Rwanda' Fell Into a Vengeful Strongman's Trap". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 14 January 2021. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  19. ^ "Hotel Rwanda' hero given 25-year sentence in 'terrorism' case". Al Jazeera. 20 September 2021. Archived from the original on 20 September 2021. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
  20. ^ "Paul Rusesabagina: Hotel Rwanda hero set free". BBC News. 26 March 2023. Retrieved 26 March 2023.