Hollywood steps up campaign for release of Rusesabagina (Hotel Rwanda)

Several Hollywood stars, including Don Cheadle, Scarlett Johansson and Joaquin Phoenix, are joining the campaign to free Paul Rusesabagina, Belgian website Bruzz reports. The Belgian-American-Rwandan is known as the hero who inspired the award-winning movie "Hotel Rwanda". In 2021, he was sentenced to 25 years in prison for terrorism.

During the Rwandan genocide in 1994, Rusesabagina was the manager of the Hôtel des Mille Collines in Kigali. He sheltered refugees in the hotel and was able to save more than 1,000 lives. Shortly after the genocide, he fled to Brussels and obtained Belgian nationality. He later moved to the United States. In 2020, the Rwandan regime arrested him by a ruse.

Rusesabagina, known as a virulent opponent of Rwandan President Paul Kagame, was sentenced in September to 25 years in prison for founding and belonging to the National Liberation Front (FLN), an armed group accused of carrying out deadly attacks in Rwanda in 2018 and 2019.

On Wednesday evening, a panel discussion was held in Los Angeles to launch a new "Free Rusesabagina" campaign. Human rights lawyers talked to actor Don Cheadle, who portrayed Paul Rusesabagina in the movie Hotel Rwanda. Actors Joaquin Phoenix, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Evans and Marc Ruffalo, among others, shared a photo of themselves in a campaign T-shirt on Wednesday evening.

With the new campaign, Rusesabagina's family wants to increase pressure on the Belgian and US governments to demand his release. At the beginning of his trial, Rusesabagina stressed that he had Belgian nationality and that he had never been officially extradited to Rwanda. Last week, Belgian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sophie Wilmès (MR) stated that Rusesabagina "did not receive a fair trial." Belgium is providing consular assistance and continues to visit Rusesabagina in prison.

(KOR)

Picture shows Paul Rusesabagina after a pre-trial court session in Kigali, Rwanda in 2020 © STRINGER / AFP