“Free Rusesabagina” campaign, a case of Westerners’ lawless activism in Rwanda

The last resort strategy of Paul Rusesabagina's sympathizers to avoid the conclusion of his trial is either to throw tantrums or appeal for his release on humanitarian ground.

On Saturday, August 21, Rwanda’s Immigration department deported an eccentric Belgian citizen who entered the country with a visitor’s visa, but oddly appeared in the High Court chamber in Kigali as a member of the defense team in the case against Rusesabagina. He was dressed in an advocate’s gown despite lacking legal permission to do so, as it was confirmed by Rwanda’s Bar Association and the Immigration authorities.

Vincent Lurquin is not accredited by the Rwanda Bar Association. To assist Rusesabagina in a Rwandan court, “he should have first gotten accreditation from the Rwanda Bar Association and then obtained a permit from Rwanda Immigration, which he did not do”, the Director General of Rwanda Immigration and Emigration authority said.

According to Professor Phil Clark of the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), “Lurquin who isn’t accredited in Rwanda, knowingly committed two illegal acts – practicing as an unaccredited lawyer and entering to work on a tourist visa.”

Friends, fans and sympathizers of Rusesabagina believe that throwing tantrums like Lurquin did or shouting in Western media could lead to his release. Lurquin did his stunt knowingly and intentionally, to provoke Rwandan institutions into arresting him and thereby making him a ‘martyr’. Presumably, Rusesabagina’s PR team hoped the arrest of Lurquin would have forced the Belgian government into making diplomatic efforts to secure the release of its citizens imprisoned in Rwanda. There is no doubt the incident would have attracted lots of media coverage and provided an occasion to the sympathizers to shout. And this is exactly the plan hatched by Rusesabagina from his prison cell as reported by his daughter Carine Kanimba. Rusesabagina asked his family and friends to shout as much as they can.

Lawlessness on the part of some westerners in their deceptive “Free Rusesabagina” campaign seems to be the norm rather than the exception. The case of Lurquin who went beyond the limits of what is legally acceptable is reminiscent of recent contemptuous calls of American politicians, European institutions and NGOs on President Kagame to disregard the constitution of Rwanda and proceed to unconditionally free Rusesabagina immediately.

On August 19, Herman Cohen, the former US Ambassador and Assistant Secretary of State, tweeted that “The Biden administration should ask President Kagame, as a humanitarian gesture, to release Paul Rusesabagina to the United States for medical care.” The same appeal was made by Tom Zoellner, the author of Rusesabagina’s book, in his recent article in the Washington Post titled “Why the Biden administration should help the hero of ‘Hotel Rwanda”. Ironically, their arrogant lawlessness refuses to acknowledge that the presidential pardon they are invoking can intervene only after the trial - which they don't want to take place - has been concluded.

If Rusesabagina’s sympathizers believe there is a humanitarian ground that can be invoked to release him, it's evident that they're doing things incorrectly; indeed, it is a plea that only Rusesabagina or his defense team can submit to the Court that us trying his case, instead of trying to pressure President Kagame to usurp the powers of the judiciary and order the release of a defendant on trial, something that they know very can never happen in their countries.

On reflection, the Rusesabagina trial has illustrated the inconsistency and contradictions of the West in terms of the manner in which they pursue their interests in Africa. A Belgian citizen presents himself in a Rwandan Court chamber dressed in an attorney’s gown while he has no accreditation, and then calls a press conference to discuss an ongoing trial in which he has no role. Western government officials, NGOs, academics and media dare to pressure an African President to do what is unlawful in their own countries.

First, this explains how they view African leaders. Secondly, it shows that their self-righteous claim of commitment to the rule of law is a joke. Third, it is evidence that they all agree with each other on the use of any lawless means to achieve their goals or advance their selfish agenda in Africa.

While it is important to identify the prejudices and discern the agenda behind Lurquin’s theatrics, and some Westerners calls on President Kagame to pervert the course of Rusesabagina’s trial by freeing him, their lawless activism in favour of a terror suspect also reminds us of the famous quote by Bertrand Russell, a British polymath who worked in philosophy, mathematics, and logic.

He once said that: “If forty million people say a foolish thing it does not become a wise one, but the wise man is foolish to give them the lie.“