Opinion
Open letter to US Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken
Hon.
Secretary of State,
It
is with pleasure that I learnt about your upcoming visit to Rwanda, which is an
indication of the good bilateral relations between the US and Rwanda. However,
when I read the press statement by Ned Price at the US Department of State released
on July 29, 2022, I found the wording in the last sentence displeasing and
offensive both to the government and people of Rwanda.
The
statement says that among the issues you intend to discuss with Rwandan
government officials is “the wrongful detention of U.S. Lawful Permanent
Resident Paul Rusesabagina.”
When
the US calls Rusesabagina’s detention wrongful, millions of Rwandans question
whether your government bases such allegations simply on the claim that
Rusesabagina is a “US lawful Permanent Resident” and therefore, Rwanda has no
authority to try him for crimes he committed against the people of Rwanda. International
law does not allow US citizens to commit serious terrorism crimes and go away
with it simply because they are US residents.
Secondly, the assertion that Rusesabagina was
wrongfully detained implies that Rwanda is a pariah state that does not abide
by the rule of law. Hon. Blinken, this is not only annoying and provocative,
but also an abuse of the principles of sovereignty of states, and interference
in the affairs of another state contrary to the provisions under international
law.
With
regard to the man, a criminal actually, that you are pleading for, I know you may even
not pronounce his name. I also know that you know little about him. I am sure
that you, like many other Americans, came to know the name Rusesabagina in
2004, when Hollywood actor star, Don Cheadle, in a fiction movie, Hotel Rwanda,
depicted him as a hero who saved Rwandans during the genocide against the Tutsi
in 1994. The movie was based on a lie. However, it earned Rusesabagina the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom from then U.S. President
George W. Bush in 2005. That is the image that you have of
Rusesabagina and it is understandable. The real-life Rusesabagina is wrongfully compared to Oskar Schindler,
while facts reveal the opposite. In the eyes of millions of Rwandans,
Rusesabagina is a fraud, a villain and a sponsor of terrorism.
Rusesabagina
never saved people at the hotel where he worked as a manager. Instead he took advantage and charged money from
people who sought refuge in the hotel contrary to directives by its owners. Rusesabagina
worked with the intelligence service of the genocidal government, and threatened to send those who did not pay to
the génocidaires to be killed. When Rusesabagina left Rwanda, he used the
profiteered money to buy a taxi in Brussels, where he switched jobs from a
hotel manager to a taxi driver. Rusesabagina personally said he “added salt and
pepper” to the movie.
To
know the truth about the movie that made you know Rusesabagina and value him, I
encourage you find and read a book titled,
“Inside the hotel Rwanda: The surprising
trues story and why it matters Today; authored by Kerry Zukus and
Edourd Kayihura.
If
your discussion with the Rwandan government officials will be about releasing a
“wrongfully detained US Legal Permanent resident” without considering the
seriousness of the crimes that led to his detention, this will be absurd. I
hope you know well that before being a US lawful permanent resident,
Rusesabagina is the son of Thomas
Rupfubire and Nyirampeta Kezia, born in Murama- Southern Rwanda. His ancestry is here
in Rwanda. One wonders therefore, if his residence in US makes him more
American than Rwandan.
Without going into much details on evidence
provided against Rusesabagina in court on his involvement in acts of terrorism
against Rwanda, and his connection with
other terror groups like the FDLR, he is on record himself publicly declaring war on Rwanda including
the use of force.
Evidence from files obtained by the Rwandan National Public
Prosecution Authority through judicial cooperation with Belgian counterparts
who carried out a search of Rusesabagina’s Brussels home, shows how deeply he
was involved in the planning, financing and execution of attacks on Rwanda. Rusesabagina
who was the commander in Chief of FLN, got real-time day-to-day updates on the
military activities from Gen. Jeva, while Gen.
Irategeka of FDLR advised him on which ranks to give to soldiers. They used
coded language in communication with FDLR generals.
Hon. Blinken, have you bothered to contact the FBI to find out
what they knew about Rusesabagina before he was arrested? It is known that they
are in possession of vital information about his collaboration and financial
transactions with commanders of armed terror groups in the Democratic Republic
of Congo (DRC). Rusesabagina’s current political organization,
the Rwanda Movement for Democratic Change (MRCD), has an armed terror group known as National Liberation Front (FLN) which carried out attacks in south-western Rwanda between 2018 and
2019, killing at least nine people, critically injuring dozens and destroying
property worth millions.
There is another side of Rusesabagina that you do not know which
requires humility and listening to the voices of Rwandans.
I can imagine that the image you have of a “Hollywood hero” turned
terror sponsor tastes bitter for you, but it’s the truth. Remember Bill Cosby, another
hero and recipient of the U.S. Presidential Medal of
Freedom like Rusesabagina? He got convicted of sexual assault and millions of
his fans remained in doubt. He had another side of life too.
I am sure you have heard of the case in 2014, of Cheryl, a beautiful lady from New York City, who
was surprised one morning when the Police barged into their home and arrested
her husband, a man she knew as Bobby Love. They had lived together for 40 years
and she had no clue until the arrest that her husband was a prison escapee and
his real names were Walter Miller. Similarly, Rusesabagina was your lawful
permanent resident, and had another side of life you do not know and should
humbly endeavor to understand.
I
hope that your talks with the Rwandan government officials about Rusesabagina
will not be based on the contents of the long letter Senator Robert Menendez of New Jersey wrote to you recently. That would be embarrassing as the letter was based
on misinformation provided by Rusesabagina’s family, his PR machine run by
Kitty Kurthy, based in San
Antonio, Texas, as well as anti-Rwanda
lobbies’ narrative built on mere fabrications. Kindly listen to the Rwandan
officials for the true story about the “hotel Rwanda hero.”
I have no doubt that you recall when, in 2017,
Sen Menendez was in the dock in a New Jersey
courtroom on corruption charges in a federal
bribery trial during which he was accused of benefiting from around $1 million in gifts and political
donations from a wealthy eye doctor in exchange for political favors. With the case of Rusesabagina, the
lesson I get about Menendez is that old habits die hard.
Hon.
Blinken, in order to understand better what happened, I strongly request that
while in Rwanda you spare a few hours and visit the village of Nyabimata in Nyaruguru District, Southern Province, and talk to
widows, orphans and survivors of FLN attacks, for which Rusesabagina was the
commander in chief.
You
will realize the trauma and agony they live in and their quest for justice. They
know that Rusesabagina is a cancer survivor but he is in good hands where he
gets first class medical attention and talks to his family regularly. The
widows and orphans of Nyabimata wake up to see graves of their loved ones and
will never be able to talk to them again until Jesus returns. Can you weigh the
difference?
Instead
of pressing Rwandan authorities to release a non-repentant convicted terror
criminal only equaled to Bin Laden, Rwandans expect that while in Rwanda, you
will convey an apology for allowing Rusesabagina, through his Hotel
Rwanda Rusesabagina Foundation (HRRF), to plan terror attacks on Rwanda from the
US.
Apart from that thorn in the flesh on issues of Rusesabagina, I believe US and Rwanda enjoy good bilateral relations. And I have no doubt that your visit will be fruitful for the benefit of the two countries. Long live the people of US and Rwanda.
Sincerely,
Kalaveri
ka Munana
Concerned Rwandan citizen
CC:
U.S.
Department of State
Senate Republicans
Senate Democrats
Senator Robert Menendez
Ned
Price, Spokesperson for the U.S.
Department of State
Rwanda
Embassy US
US
embassy in Rwanda