Rwandan court finds Hotel Rwanda film hero guilty in terrorism case

KIGALI, Sept 21 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A Rwandan court sentenced Paul Rusesabagina, a one-time hotel manager portrayed as a hero in a Hollywood film about the 1994 genocide, to 25 years in prison after he was convicted of terrorism charges.

Rusesabagina, 67, who was feted around the world after being portrayed by actor Don Cheadle in the film Hotel Rwanda, is a vocal critic of President Paul Kagame. He denied all charges and said he was kidnapped from Dubai this year to be put on trial. His supporters called the trial a sham, and proof of Kagame’s ruthless treatment of political opponents.

“Rusesabagina … is convicted of being a member of a terror group and participating in terror activities but he is acquitted of creating an illegal armed group,” judge Antoine Muhima said.

Prosecutors had sought a life sentence for Rusesabagina on nine charges, including terrorism, arson, taking hostages and forming an armed rebel group. He was convicted of eight charges.

Rusesabagina has acknowledged having a leadership role in the Rwanda Movement for Democratic Change (MRCD), a group opposed to Kagame’s rule, but denied responsibility for violence carried out by its armed wing, the National Liberation Front (FLN).

Twenty other defendants tried with him included Callixte Nsabimana, popularly known as Sankara, a spokesman for the FLN. He told the court Rusesabagina was not a member of the armed wing. But judges said the two groups were indistinguishable, referring to them as the MRCD-FLN. Nsabimana received 20 years.

Rusesabagina refused to take part in the trial and has not appeared in court after attending the first few hearings in a bright pink prison uniform, face mask and handcuffs.

The 2004 film depicted him risking his life to shelter hundreds of people as manager of a luxury hotel in the Rwandan capital Kigali during the 100-day genocide, when Hutu ethnic extremists killed more than 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus.

Cheadle was nominated for an Oscar and Rusesabagina received the Medal of Freedom – the highest civilian award – from US President George W Bush in 2005.

Genocide survivors accused Rusesabagina of using their suffering to make himself look heroic.

“That film is fiction … He dramatised his deeds in a film and won awards he did not deserve,” Naphtal Ahishakiye, the executive secretary of genocide survivor organisation Ibuka, said.

Such comments have previously been dismissed as a smear campaign by Rusesabagina’s family.

Rusesabagina used his fame to highlight what he described as rights violations by the government of Kagame, a Tutsi rebel commander who took power after his forces captured Kigali and halted the genocide.

Rusesabagina’s father was Hutu and his mother and wife were Tutsi. He became a Belgian citizen after the genocide and lived in exile in the United States until last year.

In a video posted on YouTube in 2018, Rusesabagina called for armed resistance, saying change could not be achieved by democratic means. The year before, Kagame had won re-election with 99% of the vote.

Rusesabagina’s trial began in February, six months after he arrived in Kigali on a flight from Dubai. His supporters say he was kidnapped; the Rwandan government suggested he was tricked into boarding a private plane. Human Rights Watch said his arrest amounted to an enforced disappearance, which it called a serious violation of international law.

Rusesabagina’s Rwandan lawyer said they would meet him to find out if he wished to appeal. — NNN-AGENCIES