Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame has softened his stance on jailed armed opposition movement leader, Paul Rusesabagina, sparking speculation that the ‘Hotel Rwanda’ movie actor could be freed from prison.
“I can only say there is work going on about it (case),” said Kagame in an interview with U.S.-based SEMAFOR.
“We are not people who want to get stuck in one place and not make any movement forward for whatever reasons,” added kagame.
The President further citied instances where perpetrators of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda were pardoned.
“Even in our history, when we have wanted to move on and make progress, we came to a point where we forgave the unforgivable,” said Kagame.
“That is how people even who got involved in genocide – most of them have found themselves back into freedom. We don’t get stuck with our past.”
The President’s remarks are a huge departure from his earlier stance of fully holding Rusesabagina for his crimes.
In December 2022, Kagame said his government would not be bullied into releasing Rusesabagina.
“We’ve made it clear – there isn’t anybody going to come from anywhere to bully us into something to do with our lives and we accept it,” said Kagame at the Semafor Africa Summit Exchange in Washington DC.
President Kagame softens stance on ‘Hotel Rwanda’ activist.#Rwanda’s President @PaulKagame, in an exclusive interview with @semafor, suggested there is a way to move forward on the possible release of activist #PaulRusesabagina, who came to prominence https://t.co/D2ZKpAM4A5… https://t.co/Unr0vRtkmz pic.twitter.com/w9vfKtXi2d
— MPOZEMBIZI Théophile (@TheoMpoze) March 13, 2023
Rusesabagina, 67, was arrested in August 2020 in Dubai before being tried in Rwanda and sentenced to a 25-year prison term for being a member of a terrorist group and committing terrorist acts. He denied the charges.
The political activist, who starred in the movie, ‘Hotel Rwanda’ was accused of leading an armed wing of his opposition political movement, the Rwandan Movement for Democratic Change.
The movement claimed responsibility for attacks in 2018 and 2019 in the southern part of Rwanda in which nine Rwandans died.
The reason behind Kagame’s change of heart remains unclear.
However, ChimpReports understands that human rights groups and western leaders have been piling pressure on Kagame to release Rusesabagina, saying he was wrongly convicted and that he saved lives of dozens of people whom he sheltered in a hotel during the 1994 genocide in Rwanda.
In a recent trip to Rwanda, U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken said he had been clear about US misgivings related to Rusesabagina’s trial and conviction, particularly “the lack of fair trial guarantees”.
“We continue to urge the government to address concerns about the legal protections afforded to [Rusesabagina] and his case and establish safeguards to prevent similar outcomes in the future,” Blinken said.
Kagame had argued that letting Rusesabagina off the hook due to international pressure, especially after being found guilty, would set a very dangerous precedent and undermine the country’s justice system.
“Rusesabagina was charged with 20 other people. In fact, all of them were found guilty on the basis of evidence presented in court. The other 20 are not complaining because some of them admitted to what they were involved in and admitted that Rusesabagina was their leader. With this situation, someone comes and says this person (Rusesabagina) is famous, he is a celebrity, he is a resident of the United States – so by that you have to release that person. Some of us have raised this question. Okay, let him free, what about the other 20 who have been in the same crime with him and have actually pointed to him as their leader?” Kagame wondered.
However, Kagame yesterday said his government was considering “all possible ways of resolving that issue without compromising the most fundamental aspects of that case.”
He added: “And I think there is always going to be a way forward.”
There is speculation that Rusesabagina will be repatriated to the United States to serve his jail term.
