Blinken says he discussed detention of ‘Hotel Rwanda’ hero with Rwandan leader

KIGALI, Aug 11 (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday he had raised concerns with the Rwandan president over the imprisonment of Paul Rusesabagina, portrayed in the film “Hotel Rwanda”, harboring hundreds of people during the 1994 genocide.

Rusesabagina, 67, a permanent resident of the United States, was sentenced last September to 25 years in prison on eight counts of terrorism related to an organization opposed to the regime of President Paul Kagame.

Rwandan Foreign Minister Vincent Biruta said he had been legally convicted, but Rusesabagina denied all charges and refused to participate in a trial he and his supporters called a political charade. The United States determined in May that he had been wrongfully detained.

Rusesabagina, who was celebrated around the world after being portrayed by actor Don Cheadle in “Hotel Rwanda” in 2004, is a vocal critic of Kagame. He is being held in a Rwandan prison.

Speaking at a joint press conference with Biruta in the capital Kigali, Blinken said Washington had been clear about its concerns about Rusesabagina’s trial and sentencing, particularly what he described as “the absence of fair trial guarantees”.

“We continue to urge the government to address concerns about the legal protections afforded to him and his case and establish safeguards to avoid similar outcomes in the future,” Blinken said.

Blinken said he discussed Rusesabagina’s case with Kagame during his meeting earlier Thursday, but declined to say how Kagame responded.

Biruta pushed back against Blinken’s comments.

“He was arrested. He was tried and sentenced with 20 other people, 20 other accomplices for serious crimes… And it was done legally under Rwandan and international laws. Therefore, Rwanda will continue to respect our laws and decisions made by our judicial system,” Biruta said.

Rusesabagina admitted playing a leading role in the Rwandan Movement for Democratic Change (MRCD), but denied any responsibility for the attacks carried out by its armed wing, the National Liberation Front (FLN). Trial judges said the two groups were indistinguishable.

Rusesabagina’s family, along with the families of other Americans and US permanent residents also imprisoned overseas, have called on US President Joe Biden to intervene to secure the release of their loved ones.

Washington’s ‘wrongfully detained’ designation means responsibility for Rusesabagina’s case will be transferred from the State Department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs to the office of the Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs, raising the political profile of the question.

Biden also came under increasing pressure from families after American basketball star Brittney Griner was detained and convicted in Russia, which heightened the importance of the issue. Washington and Moscow have begun talks for a possible prisoner swap for Griner and Paul Whelan, a former US Marine also being held in Russia.

Written by Humeyra Pamuk; Additional reporting by Njuwa Maina; Editing by David Holmes

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