KIGALI (Reuters) – Paul Rusesabagina, who sheltered hundreds of people during the 1994 Rwandan genocide, inspiring the film “Hotel Rwanda”, will be released from prison on Saturday, a Rwandan government spokeswoman said on Friday.
His release comes following intense diplomatic efforts by the United States, where Paul Rusesabagina enjoys the right of permanent residence.
Washington has designated him as “wrongfully detained”, citing the lack of fair trial guarantees.
The former hotelier was sentenced in September 2021 to 25 years in prison because of his links with an organization opposed to the regime of President Paul Kagame. He denied all charges and refused to participate in the trial, which he and his supporters called a political sham.
Paul Rusesabagina is expected to be released along with 19 others, their sentences commuted by presidential decree following clemency requests, Rwandan government spokeswoman Yolande Makolo told Reuters.
“Under Rwandan law, the commutation of sentence does not remove the underlying conviction,” she added.
The former hotelier will first fly to Doha, Qatar before heading to the United States, the source said.
The release of Paul Rusesabagina could help ease tensions with the United States, which has repeatedly called on Rwanda to stop supporting the M23 armed group and withdraw its troops from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Rwanda denies any involvement in the DRC.
(Report Philbert Girinema; written by Hereward Holland, French version Gaëlle Sheehan, edited by Kate Entringer)
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