Paul Rusesabagina, portrayed as a hero in the Hollywood film “Hotel Rwanda” and sentenced to 25 years in Rwanda on terrorism charges, will be released on Saturday, a Rwandan government source said on Friday.
Rusesabagina was sentenced in September 2021 for his ties to organizations opposed to Kagame’s government. He denied all the allegations and refused to participate in the trial which he and his supporters called a political sham.
Rusesabagina will initially be flown to Doha, and then to the United States, the source said, adding that he was released after Rusesabagina wrote a letter to President Paul Kagame asking for clemency.
Washington designated them as “wrongfully detained,” in part because of what it called a lack of guarantees of a fair trial. Rusesabagina has US permanent residency.
Rusesabagina, a vocal critic of Kagame, admitted to having a leadership role in the opposition group but denied responsibility for the attacks carried out by the armed wing. The trial judge said the two were indistinguishable.
Earlier this month, Rwandan President Paul Kagame said there were discussions about “resolving” the fate of Paul Rusesabagina.
Source: Reuters
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