In 1994, the world watched as genocide unfolded in Rwanda. Nearly one million people died as neighbors brutally killed their neighbors. Paul Rusesabagina is credited for keeping more than 1,200 people safe in his hotel through weeks of violence. His life and story inspired the 2004 film Hotel Rwanda.
In 2021, Rusesabagina says he was kidnapped, tried and imprisoned in Rwanda for two years and seven months over his ties to the Rwanda Movement for Democratic Change (MRCD), a group that opposes President Paul Kagame's rule.
After intervention from the U.S. and other countries, Rusesabagina was eventually released from prison. At the time he was released, he says he electronically signed a letter promising not to criticize the government. Ultimately, he decided to disregard that promise.
Many allies of President Kagame would argue that he has been responsible for shepherding an era of what they say is relative peace in the country. His critics say he leads an oppressive government that leaves no space for dissent. We hear from Paul Rusesabagina and his daughter Anaïse Kanimba, who are still speaking out against the Rwandan government.
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Paul Rusesabagina, whose life inspired the movie Hotel Rwanda, and his daughter, Anaïse Kanimba, have been vocal critics of Rwanda's current president, Paul Kagame.
The man who inspired the novel and the Hollywood film Hotel Rwanda, Paul Rusesabagina, was released late Friday evening from prison after the Rwandan government commuted his sentence.
Paul Rusesabagina has been a critic of President Paul Kagame, who has now led Rwanda for more than 20 years. Rusesabagina was arrested under circumstances that have been described as a kidnapping.
