Hotel Rwanda hero Paul Rusesabagina don regain freedom

Paul Rusesabagina photographed inside court for February 2021

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Paul Rusesabagina photographed inside court for February 2021

Dem don release Paul Rusesabagina, wey be former hotel manager, wey act as di hero for di Hollywood film Hotel Rwanda from prison for Kigali.

One Rwandan court bin sentence am to 25 years for terrorism for wetin im supporters call a sham trial.

One goment tok-tok pesin say Oga Rusesabagina sentence bin don dey “commuted by presidential order”.

Oga Rusesabagina, wey dey 68 years, get di credit to im name of how im save almost 1,200 pipo during di 1994 genocide.

US President Joe Biden call di news of im release a “happy outcome”.

“Paul family dey eager to welcome am back to di United States, and I share dia joy for di good news, today” im tok for statement.

E don take many years of diplomatic pressure and tok-tok wey Qatar dey do to get Oga Rusesabagina release.

Much of di pressure come from di United States, wia im don live since 2009. Di Biden administration don tok say dem “wrongfully detain am”.

Oga Rusesabagina family say di Rwandan goment use wayo bring am from Texas, wia im get permanent residency, back to Rwanda for 2020.

Im comot from Rwanda for 1996. Im story still dey largely unknown for one decade, while im dey work as taxi driver for di Belgian capital, Brussels.

Dem featured am for one section of journalist Philip Gourevitch’s 1998 book about di genocide, but na di 2004 Hollywood movie, wia im act as Don Cheadle, na im draw global attention.

Di Rwandan genocide last for 100 days from April 1994, wen extremists from di Hutu Community slaughter about 800,000 pipo, mostly from di Tutsi ethnic group.

Oga Rusesabagina – wey be hotel manager dat time – protect around 1,200 pipo from di violence, afta dem hide for di building.

Di following year im win di Presidential Medal of Freedom award by former-US President George W Bush for im efforts.

But im con dey criticise Rwanda President Paul Kagame well well.

For one 2018 video message, Oga Rusesabagina call for a regime change, im tok say “di time don come for us to use any means possible to bring about change for Rwanda”.

Dem bin arrest am for 2020, wen, according to im supporters, one private jet wey im believe say go cari am go Burundi, land for di Rwandan capital Kigali.

For September 2021 dem find am guilty of backing one rebel group behind deadly attacks for 2018 and 2019 for Rwanda.

Oga Rusesabagina get im freedom alongside Callixte Nsabimana, tok-tok pesin of di Rwanda Movement for Democratic Change – an opposition political party.

One tok-tok pesin for di Rwandan goment say: “Make nobody dey under any illusion about wetin e mean, as dem agree for consensus say dem bin commit serious crimes wey make dem convict dem.

“Under Rwandan law, commutation of sentence no remove di underlying conviction.

“Rwanda note di constructive role of di US goment in creating conditions for dialogue ontop dis issue, as well as di facilitation wey di state of Qatar provide.”