KIGALI: Paul Rusesabagina, portrayed as a hero in a Hollywood movie about Rwanda’s 1994 genocide, appeared in a Rwandan court amid tight security on Monday, where prosecutors are expected to formally charge him and hear his plea.
The Rwanda Investigation Bureau had previously said he would face several charges including “terrorism, financing terrorism ... arson, kidnap and murder.”
Rwandan police have said that Rusesabagina — who called for armed resistance to the government in a YouTube video — was arrested on an international warrant. His family dispute that and say he was kidnapped from Dubai.
The former hotel manager was portrayed in the Oscar-nominated film ‘Hotel Rwanda’ using his job and his connections with the Hutu elite to protect Tutsis fleeing the slaughter. He later acquired Belgian citizenship and became resident in the United States.
Rusesabagina has lived in exile since 1996, and is a strong critic of President Paul Kagame’s government. Kagame enjoys widespread credit for returning Rwanda to stability after the genocide and boosting economic growth, but his rule has been tainted by accusations of widespread repression.
‘Hotel Rwanda hero’ appears in Rwandan court amid tight security
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‘Hotel Rwanda hero’ appears in Rwandan court amid tight security
- Prosecutors are expected to formally charge Paul Rusesabagina and hear his plea
- Rwandan police have said that Rusesabagina was arrested on an international warrant
Ukraine’s Zelensky says allies to provide new energy and military aid within 10 days
- Kyiv is aiming to rally support among partners as it struggles to fend off Russian battlefield advances and air attacks
KYIV: Ukraine has agreed new energy and military support packages with European allies ahead of the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion on February 24, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday.
Kyiv is aiming to rally support among partners as it struggles to fend off Russian battlefield advances and air attacks on its energy system while under US pressure to negotiate peace.
“In Munich, we agreed with the leaders of the Berlin Format on specific packages of energy and military aid for Ukraine by February 24,” Zelensky wrote on X.
Zelensky said on Friday after a meeting of the so-called Berlin Format of about a dozen European leaders in Munich that he had hoped for new support, including air-defense missiles.
“I am grateful to our partners for their readiness to help, and we count on all deliveries arriving promptly,” he added.
Russian attacks on major cities such as Kyiv have battered Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, plunging millions of residents into power outages of varying periods in freezing cold weather.
Zelensky added that Russia had launched around 1,300 attack drones, 1,200 guided aerial bombs and dozens of ballistic missiles at Ukraine over the past week alone.
