You did it!
Dealing with issues of genocide doesn’t always offer up a lot of good news but today is different. After spending 939 days in a Rwandan prison, Paul Rusesabagina was released and will be headed home soon. Our supporters signed thousands of petitions and letters to Congress on Rusesabagina’s behalf.
Rusesabagina is a Rwandan humanitarian and former hotel manager who became known for his efforts to save lives during the 1994 Rwandan genocide.
During the genocide, Rusesabagina, who was working as a hotel manager at the Hotel des Mille Collines in Kigali, used his position to shelter 1,268 of Tutsi and moderate Hutu refugees from the violence. His story was later depicted in the 2004 film “Hotel Rwanda,” which starred Don Cheadle as Rusesabagina.
After the genocide, Rusesabagina became an outspoken critic of the Rwandan government and its ruling party, the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF). He accused the government of human rights abuses and authoritarianism, and in 2006, he founded the Hotel Rwanda Rusesabagina Foundation, which sought to raise awareness about the genocide and provide support to its survivors.
However, in 2020, Rusesabagina was arrested in Dubai and extradited to Rwanda, where he faced charges of terrorism, financing terrorism, and forming an illegal armed group. His trial was widely criticized as politically motivated, and Rusesabagina maintained his innocence throughout the proceedings. In September 2021, he was found guilty and sentenced to 25 years in prison.
Read more about Paul here.