The Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB) on Monday, August 31, 2020 announced the arrest of Paul Rusesabagina, one of the leaders of the MRCD, a platform of three Rwandan parties in exile, including the PDR Ihumure he created, the RRM of Major Callixte Sankara Nsabimana, currently in prison in Rwanda and the RDI Rwanda Nziza of former Prime Minister Faustin Twagiramungu.
The MRCD has loudly denounced the bloody dictatorship of Paul Kagame who has held the country hostage since his military victory in July 1994. The circumstances and location of Paul Rusesabagina’s arrest were not revealed by the Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB), which announced that Paul Rusesabagina was now incarcerated in the infamous Remera brigade where the singer Kizito Mihigo was murdered last February.
As a reminder, Paul Rusesabagina is the famous hero of the Tutsi genocide between April and July 1994. At the time, he was simply the director of a SABENA hotel in Kigali, and he took a lot of risks by hiding several thousand Tutsis as well as Hutus who were threatened.
His heroic attitude had been hailed by the international community especially after the release of the film Hotel Rwanda which is mainly inspired by his action during the tragic events. The former American president, George W. Bush Jr awarded him the presidential medal of freedom to honor this commitment but also in recognition of the humanitarian actions of the Hotel Rwanda Foundation that he had created and chaired.
Rwanda Bridge Builders (RBB), a coalition of Rwandan political parties and civil society organizations in exile, salutes the political courage, patriotism, commitment to democracy and human rights, and other humanistic values that this hero has always demonstrated. The RBB believes that Paul Rusesabagina, like other Rwandan patriots, has the duty to fight against the regime of Paul Kagame as it keeps the country under terror, political assassinations, disappearances of people, arbitrary arrests, forced exile, and impoverishment of the rural population.
The RBB takes this opportunity to request the support of the international community to use its power and influence on the Rwandan regime so that on the one hand this hero of genocide and freedom fighter regains his rights as soon as possible, and on the other hand, the dictatorial regime of Paul Kagame can accept political dialogue as well as the public freedom that can allow the emergence of a true rule of law.
Done in Paris on 09/01/2020
Ambassador Jean Marie Vianney NDAGIJIMANA Spokesperson for Rwanda Bridge Builders (RBB)
Rwanda Bridge Builders
Email rwandabridgebuilders@gmail.com