Jailed ‘Hotel Rwanda’ hero’s family file $400m lawsuit against Kigali
The family of Paul Rusesabagina, who was portrayed in the 2004 film Hotel Rwanda, are filing a $400 million lawsuit in the US over his alleged abduction and torture.
Rusesabagina is serving a 25year prison term on terrorism charges after a trial his supporters say was a sham and marred by irregularities.
He was credited with saving hundreds of lives during the 1994 genocide in the Central African country while working as a hotel manager in the capital, Kigali, with his actions inspiring the Hollywood film.
“The complaint alleges that the government of Rwanda and high-ranking Rwandan officials conspired to facilitate and execute an elaborate plot to lure Paul Rusesabagina from his home in Texas to Rwanda, where he would be tortured and illegally detained for the remainder of his life,” the family said on Saturday.
A copy of the lawsuit seen by AFP shows it was filed in a Washington court on February 22. It was served on the Rwandan government on March 8.
On Wednesday, Rusesabagina’s family and lawyers will announce further details of the legal action, which is seeking at least $400m in compensation, as well as punitive damages.
The lawsuit names the government of Rwanda, President Paul Kagame and other figures such as the country’s former justice minister and intelligence chief.
After the release of Hotel Rwanda, Rusesabagina used his newfound fame to denounce Mr Kagame.
He has been in jail since his arrest in August 2020, when an aircraft he believed was bound for neighbouring Burundi landed instead in Kigali.
His family said Rusesabagina, who has a US green card and Belgian citizenship, was tricked into travelling from America with the promise of employment in Burundi.
“Instead, he was drugged and taken to Rwanda, where President Paul Kagame’s security agents forcibly abducted him, tortured him and forced him into illegal imprisonment,” they said.
The Rwandan government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Rusesabagina was convicted in September of involvement in a rebel group blamed for deadly attacks in 2018 and 2019.
His 25-year jail term was upheld by the country’s Court of Appeal this month, a ruling that his family say is effectively a death sentence for the ailing 67-year-old.