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In 2020, human rights activist and hero of the Rwandan genocide, Paul Rusesabagina, was illegally renditioned from an airport in Dubai, to Rwanda to face trumped-up criminal charges...including murder and terrorism.  On September 20, 2021, Paul Rusesabagina was convicted of all charges and sentenced to 25 years in prison.  According to many in the international community...the arrest, the trial, and the conviction were not only a violation of basic legal rights, but a travesty of human rights.

You best know Paul Rusesabagina from the critically acclaimed movie "Hotel Rwanda". Mr. Rusesabagina, played by actor Don Cheatle in the movie, saved more than 1,200 Tutsis and others in his position as the manager of Hotel des Mille Collines during the Rwandan genocide. He even received the Medal of Freedom from President George W. Bush. Rusesabagina is a lawful permanent resident of the United States and a citizen of Belgium.

Paul Rusesabagina is a humanitarian who has regularly criticized human rights violations and the lack of democracy in Rwanda. His arrest came after his calls for change. Everyone sees the headlines that he was guilty of terrorism, but the average person with no prior knowledge of Paul\'s case does not know that the trial was unfair. Paul did not have access to international counsel, he had his attorney-client privileged documents confiscated, and there was a violation of the presumption of innocence through public accusations at the highest levels of government. He was subject to abuse, and his human rights and legal rights were violated.

In this episode, NYCFPA Principal Director Justin Russell interviews Carine Kanimba (Mr. Rusesabagina\'s daughter), Kitty Kurth and Brian Endless of the Hotel Rwanda Rusesabagina Foundation. They detail the charges against him, his time in custody, and the illegal actions perpetrated by the Rwandan Government under the leadership of President Paul Kagame.