Hotel Rwanda hero convicted

A Rwandan court today found Paul Rusesabagina, a one-time hotel manager portrayed as a hero in a Hollywood film about the 1994 genocide, guilty of terrorism-related charges. ‘They should be found guilty for being part of this terror group (MRCD-FLN),’ said Justice Beatrice Mukamurenzi. A report on the News24 site notes that Rusesabagina, who criticised President Paul Kagame from exile after being portrayed by actor Don Cheadle in the film Hotel Rwanda, had denied all the charges and said he was kidnapped from Dubai to stand trial. Prosecutors have requested a life sentence for Rusesabagina, whose family says he is in poor health and being mistreated in prison. Rusesabagina's trial has drawn attention to Kagame, whom rights groups say has used authoritarian tactics to crush political opposition and extend his rule.

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