Real-life 'Hotel Rwanda' hero Paul Rusesabagina convicted of terror charges

Rwandan government critic and real-life hero of Hotel Rwanda, Paul Rusesabagina was convicted on terror charges. On Monday, the Kigali court sentenced the fiercely outspoken opposition leader to a prison term of 25 years. However, his supporters pronounced the court verdict as a "politically motivated show trial".

As per reports, Rusesabagina was charged with involvement with rebel groups responsible for gun and grenade attacks in  Rwanda during 2018 and 2019. The court verdict was formally announced by Justice Beatrice Mukamurenzi after seven months of rigorous trial that began in February this year. The real-life hero was convicted of "financial contributions to terrorist activities," Justice Mukamurenzi said in her statement.

While Rusesabagina's prosecutors sought life imprisonment, he was rewarded with 25 years in prison due to his "heroic deeds" during the 1995 genocide. Justice Mukamurenzi during her announcement of the final verdict said that the penalty "should be reduced to 25 years as this is his first conviction," BBC reported. The prominent hotelier, Paul Rusesabagina was arrested in August 2020 after his Burundi-bound flight landed in Kigali.

Meanwhile, Rusesabagina's supporters and his family slammed the Rwandan leader Paul Kagame for acting out of vengeance. As per reports, the US Presidential medal winner Rusesabagina had earlier used his power and influence to denounce Kagame. However, Kagame refuted all the criticisms against him and said that the hotelier was jailed for his "actions" and not for his fame. On the other hand, the US has also raised concerns over the authenticity of the trials conducted in the Kigali court after Rusesabagina's daughter told BBC that her father did not have access to lawyers. "The reported lack of fair trial guarantees calls into question the fairness of the verdict," US said in a statement.

Who is Paul Rusesabagina?

Paul Rusesabagina is an Rwandan hotelier and politician. He is a celebrated figure, who is hailed for his role in providing shelter to 1,200 people during the 1994 Hutu extremists attack. He was the manager of the Hotel des Mille Collines in Kigali during the genocide attack that killed 8,00,000 people, mostly Tutsis. Rusesabagina is also an inspiration behind the Oscar-nominated Hollywood film Hotel Rwanda in which his part was played by Don Cheadle. Rusesabagina has also been awarded a US Presidential medal and is a green cardholder.

Image: Twitter/@ABA_ICLC