Paul Rusesabagina, the hotelier-turned-dissident known for his role in the Rwandan genocide as depicted in the movie Hotel Rwanda, recently spoke out in his first interview since his release from prison. Rusesabagina described his captivity, the deception that led to his arrest, and his plans to defy an agreement to remain silent.
During the interview with The New York Times, Rusesabagina detailed his 939 days in detention, including the torture he faced and the denial of medication. He also recounted how a Rwandan government informant lured him back to Rwanda with false promises of freedom and high-ranking positions. The incident marked the beginning of his imprisonment and ultimately led to a 25-year prison sentence on terrorism charges.
While some of Rusesabagina’s claims could not be independently verified and contradicted his previous statements, the government of Rwanda did not provide any comment or response to the allegations.
Despite previously seeking a pardon and promising to retire in silence, Rusesabagina, now 69 years old, declared that he would continue speaking out against President Paul Kagame. He accused Kagame of turning Rwanda into a protected private property and expressed his determination not to be silenced. In a video released on Rwanda’s Independence Day, Rusesabagina criticized Kagame’s regime and the unfair trials faced by political prisoners. He called on the international community to stop cooperating with Kagame’s government, likening it to working with South Africa’s apartheid government. Notably, Rwanda has recently struck deals with European countries, including Britain, to accept unwanted migrants.
Rusesabagina’s resurgence reignites his rivalry with President Kagame, who has been in power for three decades. Kagame has been praised by Western donors for advancing the nation’s recovery after the genocide. However, he has also faced criticism for imprisoning critics, targeting opponents abroad, and purging military leaders. Kagame had long accused Rusesabagina of fabricating the heroic story portrayed in Hotel Rwanda.
Timothy P. Longman, a professor at Boston University, acknowledged that Rusesabagina has a significant platform due to his prominence and international attention. However, Longman expressed skepticism about the possibility of radical change in Rwanda in the near future.
Rusesabagina’s return to Rwanda was orchestrated by a lawyer friend, Innocent Twagiramungu, who introduced him to a pastor from Burundi named Constantin Niyomwungere. Despite growing suspicious of the pastor’s intentions, Rusesabagina agreed to visit Burundi to speak about reconciliation and human rights. However, he ensured that he would travel together with others, informed his family of his whereabouts, and confirmed with the pilot and flight attendant that the final destination was indeed Burundi. Nevertheless, Rusesabagina was deceived, drugged during the flight, and found himself in Kigali, where he was captured.
During his subsequent trial, Rwandan officials accused Rusesabagina of leading an opposition coalition responsible for civilian killings in Rwanda, as well as planning collaborations with militant groups in Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Pastor Niyomwungere testified against Rusesabagina in court, claiming to serve as a government informant. Rusesabagina, who was no longer the head of the opposition coalition at the time of his arrest, denied these allegations. He insisted that his confession to providing money to an armed group was made under torture and with the sole intention of securing his release.
As Rusesabagina’s story continues to unfold, it raises questions about human rights and political dissent in Rwanda. While Rusesabagina asserts his determination to challenge Kagame’s regime, only time will tell what impact his actions will have on the country’s future.
