‘Hotel Rwanda’ hero Paul Rusesabagina charged with terrorism
- He is also accused of complicity in murder and forming or joining an irregular armed group
- Rusesabagina, portrayed in movie as a hero for protecting Tutsis during the 1994 genocide, is a vocal critic of Rwandan President Paul Kagame
Paul Rusesabagina, portrayed as a hero in a Hollywood movie about Rwanda’s 1994 genocide, declined to plead on Monday to all the 13 charges facing him, demanding he be allowed to plead to each separate count in a case that has also thrust a spotlight on President Paul Kagame’s government.
Rusesabagina, who once called for armed resistance to the government in a YouTube video, appeared in a Kigali court accused of terrorism, complicity in murder and forming or joining an irregular armed group, among other charges.
His trial promises to be the most high-profile yet in a string of cases against Kagame’s opponents.
Brought to court handcuffed in a van inscribed “RIB” for Rwanda Investigation Bureau, the 66-year-old Rusesabagina wore a tan suit and a face mask as an anti-coronavirus measure. He sat pensively before responding.
He told the court that he had contributed €20,000 (US$24,000) to the National Liberation Front (FLN), the military wing of the Mouvement Rwandais pour le Changement Démocratique, which he co-chairs.