MANAGING EDITOR – SOPHIA KUSSEL
Paul Rusesabagina, father of St. Mary’s student Trésor Rusesabagina and inspiration for the movie ‘Hotel Rwanda,’ is expected to return to the states tonight after release from Rwandan imprisonment. Classmates of Trésor Rusesabagina, at St. Mary’s university, aided in spreading public awareness of Paul Rusesabagina’s imprisonment by writing to local members of Congress and representatives.
The Rwandan government had Paul Rusesabagina arrested in 2020, when Rusesabagina was on a flight from Dubai headed to Burundia— a country bordered by Rwanda from the north. Instead, the plane flew Rusesabagina to Kigali, where authorities charged him with terrorism-related offenses.
Rusesabagina is a human rights activist and hotelier who, during the Rwandan Genocide, provided refuge for hundreds of Hutu and Tutsi. In 2004, the movie ‘Hotel Rwanda’ depicted these events, further spreading his story. The U.S. government acknowledged Rusesabagina’s bravery, making him a recipient of the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2005, among multiple other humanitarian awards. In 1996, Rusesasbagina left for Belgium before moving to San Antonio in 2009 with his family. Rusesasbagina outwardly criticized the Rwandan government; In turn, many of his supporters believe that this made him a target of the Rwandan government and the reason he was imprisoned.
The Rattler will provide updates as they come. The Rattler will provide the full story in the following days.