Rusesabagina’s kidnapping, torture tales a ruse

Author: Moses Kayinamura

• 2023-01-29 05:06:00

On January 23, a federal judge in Washington DC, dismissed claims against the Rwandan Government and its leadership filed by Paul Rusesabagina, his wife and six children.

Rusesabagina is the head of the MRCD/FLN terror group that carried out deadly attacks in south-western Rwanda between 2018 and 2019 where at least nine unarmed civilians lost their lives, many more others were injured and property was destroyed or looted. On September 20, 2021, the Rwandan High Court handed him a 25-year sentence for terror related crimes.

Following Rusesabagina’s arrest and conviction, his family filed a complaint in February 2022, alleging that that he was kidnapped and tortured. But U.S. District Judge Richard J. Leon, in a 15-page opinion, made public on January 23, found the arguments presented by Rusesabagina’s lawyers unpersuasive.

During his visit to Rwanda, on August 11, 2022, US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, told media that he raised the case of Rusesabagina with the President, where he underscored concerns about the lack of fair trial guarantees provided to him.

Rwanda’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Dr Vincent Biruta, replied that Rusesabagina is a Rwandan citizen, whose case had been worked on with the US for more than a decade. And he made it clear that his arrest and conviction for serious crimes against Rwandan citizens, were lawful under both Rwandan and international law.

This dismissed claim from Washington revealed the true colors of Rusesabagina’s family and its supporters who are ignorant of the law. How would they file a lawsuit without understanding US laws in the first place?

It is a shame for Carine Kanimba's lobbyists including Senator Robert Mendez and Kitty Kurth who failed to advise her on how to approach courts. They should know that the complaint will not stand a chance in regard to Washington's laws.

The so-called Rusesabagina supporters are only looking for gains from collected sums of money by the Rusesabagina Hotel Rwanda Foundation, claiming to promote social life while financing terrorism. Rusesabagina is on record bragging about how his terror organization was ready to wage war against the government of Rwanda.