Paul Rusesabagina, played by American actor Don Cheadle in the Oscar-nominated film Hotel Rwanda, is believed to have saved hundreds of Tutsis from assassination. The killings ended when the Tutsi rebels, led by the current president Paul Kagame, took control and caused an outflow of more than two million Hutu. Last year, the 67-year-old was sentenced to 25 years in prison for terrorism after a trial, which his supporters claim was full of irregularities. His family claimed in their lawsuit that the Rwandan government used “its agents to trick him” into traveling back to Rwanda from the United States, where he lived in exile. President Kagame’s security agents then “kidnapped him by force, tortured him and forced him into illegal detention,” according to the lawsuit, which has been seen by Sky News. Roussabagina is known as a prominent critic of President Kagame, which his family said was the reason he “watched, was harassed and eventually abducted.” The lawsuit, filed in a Washington court on February 22, names the Rwandan government, President Paul Kagame and others, including the former justice minister and intelligence chief. Image: Rusesabagina sentenced to 25 years in prison for terrorism He is seeking at least $ 400 million (30 307.2 million) in damages as well as punitive damages. A press conference will be held on Wednesday by Rusesabagina’s family and lawyers, where more details about the lawsuit are expected to be announced. The Rwandan government has not yet commented publicly on the allegations. Rusesabagina has received numerous awards for his work, including the US Presidential Medal of Freedom from George W. Bush in 2005. Image: US President Bush awards Presidential Medal of Freedom to Rusesabagina in 2005 In September, he was convicted of joining a rebel group accused of deadly gun attacks, grenades and arson in Rwanda in 2018 and 2019. His sentence was upheld by the Rwandan Court of Appeal earlier this month, a decision his family described as a death sentence.
