Paul Rusesabagina is a Rwandan humanitarian who is known for his extraordinary courage and ingenious strategy that saved the lives of 1,268 refugees from being massacred by the ‘Interahamwe’ (Hutu militia) during the 1994 Rwandan genocide. After saving the refugees, he escaped initially to Tanzania and later to Belgium and the United States of America, along with his family.
The Rusesabagina’s continue to support global human rights. In 2005, he and his wife founded the ‘Hotel Rwanda Rusesabagina Foundation’ that works “to support peace, justice, truth, and reconciliation in the Great Lakes Region of Africa and helps survivors and victims of genocide to overcome its effects
“Hotel Rwanda,” Paul Rusesabagina sentenced to 25 years on terrorism charges
On Monday, a court in Kigali found Paul Rusesabagina, the inspiration for the film “Hotel Rwanda,” guilty of terrorism-related crimes and sentenced him to 25 years in prison.
Rusesabagina, the inspiration for the film “Hotel Rwanda,” was found guilty of being a member of the MRCD-FLN terror group. He was charged with terrorism along with 20 other persons. According to a Rwanda official statement, two organized attacks in 2018 were a specific focus, resulting in the deaths of nine individuals.
Reacting to the sentence Rusesabagina’s daughter, Carine Kanimba, told CNN: “It is what the family expected a guilty sentence and many years in prison. Kagame has tried to silence my father for the past 20 years and he has succeeded in silencing him for 25 years.”
Kanimba told CNN that all of her father’s basic human rights have been violated by the Rwanda government. “We knew there would never be a fair trial for my father, and now the world knows too. If the US, Belgium, and others believe in human rights, they need to step in now to free our father.”
“This lengthy trial has exposed the terrorist operations of the FLN group commanded by Rusesabagina,” said Yolande Makolo, a spokesperson for the Rwandan government, in a statement made following the verdict.
Further Information
According to the announcement, the High Court Chamber for International Crimes handed down its decision on 21 FLN members on Monday.
The verdict has been dubbed a “show trial” by the Clooney Foundation for Justice, which claims that Rusesabagina’s conviction lacked “adequate assurances of fairness required by international and African norms.”
“The prosecution evidence against him was unveiled but not challenged. Given Mr. Rusesabagina’s age and poor health, this severe sentence is likely to be a death sentence,” said Geoffrey Robertson QC, the Clooney Foundation for Justice’s TrialWatch expert on the case.
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“This was a show trial, rather than a fair judicial inquiry,” said Robertson. “The prosecution evidence against him was unveiled but not challenged.”
The judge, reading out the verdict on Monday said: “The court also finds that they were in this group very aware that they were committing terror acts, they wanted the terror acts committed and this is evidenced by the work that they committed while in that political party. They formed FLN which is an illegal armed group, which attacked Rwanda in 2018 and 2019, and even after that they bragged about it in different announcements and videos,” the judge said.
Paul Rusesabagina Age, Date of Birth, Birthday, Family, what about his father, mother, where is he from? Early Life
Rusesabagina was born on June 15, 1954. He belongs to a Hutu ethnic background. Moreover, he holds Rwandan nationality. Paul holds Belgian citizenship and a US green card. He has homes in Brussels, Belgium, and San Antonio, Texas.
He was one of nine children born to a Hutu father, a respected community elder named Thomas Rupfure, and a Tutsi mother in Murama, Rwanda. Although stating that he grew up poor, in a “house … made of mud and sticks” and “without shoes”, Rusesabagina described his upbringing as “solidly middle class by the standards of Africa in the 1950s”.
Rusesabagina’s parents sent him to school in a town near Gitwe run by the Seventh-day Adventist Church. By the age of 13, he was fluent in English and French, as well as his native Kinyarwanda.
Paul Rusesabagina Wife, Children, What about Relationship?
Paul Rusesabagina is married twice. He married his first wife, Esther Bamurage, on 8 September 1967. He was just 13 years old while he married his first wife. Due to the political work in a different place than his wife their marriage did not work out. They legally separated from each other in 1981. Paul was granted full custody of their three children: Lys, Diane, and Roger.
In 1987, Paul met Tatiana. Tatiana is a Tutsi nurse who lived in Ruhengeri. They got married two years later, and Tatiana adopted his children. Later, she gave birth twice. However, only their son, Trésor, survived infancy.
Paul Rusesabagina Career
To fulfill his childhood desire to become a minister, he, along with his wife, shifted to Cameroon to study in a seminary.
Later, in December 1978, he moved to Kigali, the capital city of Rwanda, along with his wife and two children.
Upon the advice of his childhood friend, he took up a job at the ‘Hotel des Mille Collines,’ a reputed hotel in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda.
He was sent to Belgium and Switzerland to learn hotel management and acquire the skills of the hospitality industry. After completing his hotel management studies abroad, he returned to work with ‘Mille Collines.’
He was promoted to the post of assistant general manager of ‘Hotel Diplomates,’ a sister-concern of ‘Mille Collines,’ in 1992.
During the Rwandan genocide of 1994, he successfully convinced the then-corporate management of ‘Mille Collines,’ the ‘Societé Anonyme Belge d’Exploitation de la Navigation Aérienne’ (better known in the international circuit as ‘Sabena,’ or ‘SABENA’), to officially appoint him as the assistant general manager of the hotel.
Awards & Honors
In 2000, he was awarded the ‘Immortal Chaplains Prize for Humanity.’
In 2005, he was honored with three recognitions: the ‘Wallenberg Medal’ of the ‘University of Michigan,’ the ‘National Civil Rights Museum Freedom Award,’ and the ‘Presidential Medal of Freedom.’
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He received three honorary degrees: the ‘Honorary Doctorate of Law’ from the ‘University of Guelph’ (2007), an honorary degree from the ‘Gustavus Adolphus College’ in 2008, and another honorary degree, from the ‘Loyola University Chicago’ at the ‘Bachelor of Arts Commencement’ in 2009.
‘The Lantos Foundation for Human Rights and Justice’ awarded him the ‘Tom Lantos Human Rights Prize’ in 2011.
In the Media
His story was narrated in the book ‘We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed with Our Families,’ authored by ‘Philip Gourevitch’ and released in 1998.
He co-authored his autobiography, ‘An Ordinary Man,’ along with Tom Zoellner. It was published by ‘Zach Bell’ in April 2006.
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The 2004 movie ‘Hotel Rwanda’ presented a dramatized version of the genocide.
Where he attended his High school and University? What was his major?
Before working in the hotel business, Rusesabagina went to a missionary school in central Rwanda and attended the Faculty of Theology in Cameroon.
Paul Rusesabagina Net worth, How much does he earn?
The net worth of Paul Rusesabagina is assumed to be in the millions. However, the actual amount of his net worth is unrevealed till now. Looking over her career background, and history, his net worth must be from $10 million to $70 million.
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He is one of the well-known politicians. Paul is recently found guilty of terror-related charges.His major source of income is politics. He made a lot of money as a politician. In addition to politics, he has appeared in some movies and has written some books as well.
His autobiography was published by Zach Bell in April 2006.He has worked as the manager, public speaker, and many more.
Paul Rusesabagina Social Media Reach
He is available on Twitter with the username “@PaulHRRF” with 891 followers and also on Instagram with the username “@rusesabaginapaul” with 214 followers. He is highly active on Facebook too with the username “@Paul Rusesabagina.”
Paul Rusesabagina FAQ’s
Paul Rusesabagina is a Rwandan humanitarian who is known for his extraordinary courage and ingenious strategy that saved the lives of 1,268 refugees from being massacred by the ‘Interahamwe’ (Hutu militia) during the 1994 Rwandan genocide.
Paul Rusesabagina is married twice. Paul married his first wife, Esther Bamurage, on 8 September 1967. He was just 13 years old while he married his first wife. In 1987, Paul met Tatiana. Tatiana is a Tutsi nurse who lived in Ruhengeri.
Before working in the hotel business, Rusesabagina went to a missionary school in central Rwanda and attended the Faculty of Theology in Cameroon.
He is available on Twitter with the username “@PaulHRRF” with 891 followers and also on Instagram with the username “@rusesabaginapaul” with 214 followers. He is highly active on Facebook too with the username “@Paul Rusesabagina.”
Hotel Rwanda is based on a true story documenting the real-life hotelier Paul Rusesabagina and his efforts to save both Tutsi and Hutu Rwandan refugees in the Belgian-owned Hôtel des Mille Collines.
Paul Rusesabagina’s Body Appearance Height, Weight
| Height | N/A |
| Weight | N/A |
| Hair | Black |
| Eye Color | Black |
| Body Type | Fit |
| Sexual Orientation | Straight |
Interesting facts about Paul Rusesabagina’s which you should know
| Nationality | Rwandan |
| Ethnicity | Hutu |
| Zodiac Sign | Gemini |
| Parents | Thomas and Tutsi Rusesabagina |
| Birthplace | Kigali, Rwanda |
| Age (as in 2021) | 67 years |
