Hotel Rwanda hero convicted of terror-related charges faces possible life imprisonment
The lead actor in the “Hotel Rwanda” movie, Paul Rusesabagina has been found guilty on terror-related charges.
On Monday, September 19, Rusesabagina who has been standing trial for more than a year was found guilty by a court in Rwanda. He was brought to the country in handcuffs after his sudden disappearance during a visit to Dubai a year ago.
Paul has so far been found guilty of the formation of an illegal armed group and membership in a terrorist group while awaiting the verdict on charges of murder, abduction and armed robbery as an act of terrorism.
He has been accused of supporting the armed wing of his political platform, Movement for Democratic Change which claimed responsibility for the attack in the southern part of Rwanda in 2018 and 2019 where the lives of nine Rwandans were lost.
The movie hero was arrested in Dubai during a short visit to the United Arab Emirates, a move which his family has criticized as kidnapping. The court in its ruling denied the claim of kidnapping, explaining that he was only tricked into a charted flight. The Rwandan government has asserted that Paul Rusesabagina was heading to Burundi to coordinate with armed groups based there and in Congo.
However, the U.S Presidential Medal of Freedom awardee who has been praised for giving more than 1,200 people shelter in the hotel he managed during Rwanda’s 1994 genocide has rubbished the accusation made against him. He claims he is being persecuted because of his fierce criticism of Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame on what he describes as an increasingly repressive rule.
He described the ruling as a “sham” as he makes allegations of unfair trial against him maintaining that he is innocent.
The family of Paul Rusesabagina fear he will die from poor health behind bars.
Source: Heizel Joshua | myactiveonline.com
