THE United States said it has determined that Hotel Rwanda hero Paul Rusesabagina has been “wrongfully detained” by Kigali, which handed him a 25-year prison sentence.

Rusesabagina, who holds US permanent residence and Belgian citizenship, denounced Rwandan President Paul Kagame as a dictator and was found guilty of “terrorism” charges by a court.

The State Department determined that Rusesabagina is wrongfully detained, said a spokesman for the agency.

“The determination takes into account the totality of the circumstances, notably the lack of fair trial guarantees during his trial.”

The designation requires the State Department, which earlier voiced concern about the case, to work to free him.

Rusesabagina, then a Kigali hotel manager, is credited with saving hundreds of lives during the genocide in 1994 and his actions inspired the Hollywood film Hotel Rwanda.

He has been behind bars since his arrest in August 2020, when a plane he believed was bound for Burundi landed instead in Kigali.

His family, in a statement, voiced hope that the designation will bring “increased pressure” from the US on Rwanda to free him.

“Most importantly, Rusesabagina’s health is deteriorating, and his family fears that he will die in jail in Rwanda if something is not done by the US and others to free him.

“He is a 67-year-old cancer survivor who appears to have suffered one or more strokes in recent months.”

His family said visitors also noticed he was experiencing pain in his left arm.

Rusesabagina’s family recently filed a US$400 million (RM1.7 billion) suit in the US against Kagame, the Rwandan government and other figures for allegedly abducting and torturing him.

Rusesabagina was convicted of involvement in a rebel group blamed for deadly gun, grenade and arson attacks in Rwanda in 2018 and 2019. – AFP, May 20, 2022.