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Hotel manager Paul Rusesabagina saved hundreds of people from death. Now the hero of the film has been charged with terrorism.
Paul Rusesabagina thinks he’s in the wrong movie. The former Rwandan hotel manager is enjoying retirement in Texas, USA, but suddenly appears in Rwanda’s capital Kigali in late August, handcuffed. This is where the test is done.
The movie Hotel Rwanda is based on the story of Rusesabagina. During the 1994 genocide, he turned the Mille Collines Hotel into a refugee camp, probably saving the lives of more than 1,200 people.
However, two years later, Rusesabagina no longer felt safe in Rwanda. She moved with her family to Belgium and then to the United States.
Caught in the trap
In late August, Rusesabagina flew from Dubai on a private jet to East Africa. In fact, she wanted to speak in Burundi, the 66-year-old told the New York Times. Instead of Burundi, the plane landed in Rwanda. “It was a surprise, I didn’t really want to go here,” Rusesabagina confessed.
Rusesabagina was interrogated for days, his hands and feet were handcuffed and his eyes were blindfolded. However, he protested that he had been treated well. His family says that Rusesabagina was kidnapped.
The president of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, contradicted this statement: “There was no kidnapping. He came here because he believed in something and wanted to do something. “Kagame’s statement cannot be interpreted other than that Rusesabagina was misled. Presumably, she fell into a trap by the Rwandan security forces.
From hotel manager to politician
Years ago, the former hotel manager had annulled with the Kagame government. He sought refuge abroad, despite the invitation he stayed away from the premiere of “Hotel Rwanda” in Kigali.
In exile, Rusesabagina became more political, founded an opposition party and even planned to run for president. In his autobiography, the Hutu Rusesabagina criticized the authoritarian tendencies of President Kagame, who ruled the country with a small Tutsi elite.
In return, Rwanda launched a campaign against Rusesabagina. He was accused of profiting from genocide. People close to the president even planned a second film to show the alternative vision of the events at the “Hotel Rwanda”. Finally, Rwanda issued an international arrest warrant for Rusesabagina.
President Kagame does not tolerate opponents
Rwanda’s actions are not surprising. The oppositionists live dangerously, inside and outside the country. President Kagame does not like when someone turns against him. In 2014, he warned his opponents in a speech: “You must not betray Rwanda with impunity, otherwise you will feel the consequences. It’s just a matter of time. “
In this zone of tension, Paul Rusesabagina became radicalized. In 2018, he openly called for armed struggle in a video: “Our youth, the FLN National Liberation Front, must take action against the Kagame army to liberate the people of Rwanda.”
The FLN is the armed wing of the Rusesabagina party and is active in the south of the country. Now, the former hotel manager has admitted in court that he was a co-founder of this organization. However, he did not personally participate in acts of violence.
The former hero has to answer today for terrorism. This time there will be no happy ending for Paul Rusesabagina.
