"Hero" in "Hotel Rwanda" becomes "criminal"

Original title: "Heroes" become "criminals" in Rwanda Hotel

From a hero of concern to a criminal sentenced to participate in terrorism, Paul Russa bagina's identity changed 180 degrees overnight.
According to Reuters, on September 20 local time, a Rwandan court convicted the prototype Paul Rusesabagina, the protagonist of the film Hotel Rwanda, on charges related to terrorism.
As a political dissident of Rwandan President Kagame, Russa bagina has been in exile. Since his arrest in August last year, Russa bagina has been in prison for more than a year, during which he said he "did not expect justice".
The family and supporters of Russa bagina believe that the trial is politicized and unfair. Now, the daughter (niece, later adopted) of Russa bagina is running around for the result of his trial, hoping that the international community can exert pressure on the Rwandan government to release Russa bagina.
Nine counts, 25 years in prison
The judgment mainly focuses on the relationship between Russa bagina and terrorist activities.
Judge Beatrice mukamurenzi said in her judgment that the armed organization "National Liberation Front" carried out terrorist attacks including killing, robbery and arson against Rwandan civilians, and 20 defendants, including Russa bagina, should be identified as members of the "National Liberation Front".
In addition, in a video in 2018, Russa bagina said, "now we should use all possible means to change Rwanda". Muka mulenzi pointed out that this is also one of the evidence to convict him.
According to Bloomberg, Russa bagina was tried together with other defendants on nine counts, including the establishment of an illegal armed organization, the financing of terrorist activities and the Commission of terrorist acts such as murder, arson and kidnapping, and was sentenced to 25 years' imprisonment. But Russa bagina himself denied any wrongdoing.
"He (Russa bagina) is 67 years old and 25 years' imprisonment is basically the death penalty for him," Russa bagina's daughter told the BBC.

The "hero" in the Hotel Rwanda was sentenced to 25 years in prison on terrorism charges/ Social media screenshot
"This judgment ended an extraordinary chapter in Russa bagina's life," commented the Washington Post.
Compared with his role as a political activist and a critic of Rwandan President Kagame, Russa bagina is more famous for being the prototype of the protagonist of the film Hotel Rwanda.
The Rwanda Hotel is said to be adapted and filmed based on his experience. It tells that during the 1994 Rwanda massacre, the protagonist as a hotel manager (the prototype is Russa bagina) helped protect more than 1200 people from killing. The film has won many nominations for Oscar and Golden Globe Awards.
In 2005, Russa bagina was also awarded the Presidential Medal of freedom by then U.S. President George W. Bush, which is the highest honor awarded by the United States to civilians.
However, the "heroic deeds" of Russa bagina are also controversial. Xinhua News Agency pointed out that the authenticity of Russa bagina's experience has been widely questioned in Rwanda, and Holocaust survivors believe that the content is untrue.
The political struggle behind the trial
In addition to the attention paid to the "hero" identity of Russa bagina, it is also worth mentioning the political struggle behind the case.
As a critic of Rwandan President Kagame, Russa bagina has lived abroad for a long time. He has also said that he is a potential political challenger of Kagame. His family said that the trial was a hoax. Russa bagina had been tricked into getting on the plane and then forcibly taken to Rwanda for trial.
Russa bagina's lawyer argued that the trial was to rationalize the detention of Kagame's critics. Supporters of Russa bagina also accused the trial of being unfair.
According to their description, the main purpose of the trial seems to be to "eliminate dissidents". However, the case is clearly more complex.

"It's all about politics," the international community's response to the Rusesabagina judgment/ Social media screenshot
Phil Clark, a professor of international politics at the school of Asia and Africa at the University of London, said that the international media always stand on the side of Russa bagina, and most Rwandan media support Kagame, but the situation is more complex than described by the media.
Clark, who has attended the trial many times in Kigali, believes that the Rwandan government may have gone too far in describing Russa bagina as a planner of terrorist activities. However, the prosecutor did produce sufficient evidence to prove that Russa bagina provided funds to the national liberation front. "Therefore, this case cannot be simply described as the unjust arrest and prosecution of the heroes of the Rwanda Hotel by the government."
The BBC pointed out that, in fact, many celebrities who disagree with Kagame are in exile abroad, but the Rwandan government has never tried to attract any of them back home and try them on terrorism charges, which also reflects the particularity of the Russa bagina case to a certain extent.
After the trial results came out, the lawyer of Russa bagina said that Rwanda has an appeal procedure, and they are also trying other legal channels.
Russa bagina's daughter is also running for her, trying to arouse the attention of the international community to the case, so as to put pressure on the Rwandan government, release Russa bagina.
Russa bagina has both Belgian citizenship and American green card. The trial has also aroused the concern of the two countries. The Belgian foreign minister said that Belgium has appealed the matter many times and the principle of presumption of innocence has not been respected in the trial. These have led to doubts about the judgment. During the United Nations General Assembly, the Belgian foreign minister will hold talks with the Rwandan foreign minister to discuss the matter.
US State Department spokesman price also said in a statement that Russa bagina had no secret and unimpeded access to his lawyers and relevant case documents, and the trial lacked fair guarantee, which made people question the fairness of the judgment. The United States urges the Rwandan government to take measures, re-examine the deficiencies in the case.
Author Luan Ruoxi
Editor Liu Xixian