PM called on to help free father who’s been jailed in Rwanda after saving thousands of lives
Paul Resesabagina helped save over 1200 lives during the Rwandan genocide in 1994.
The hotel owner house 1,268 Hutu and Tutsi refugees from the Interahamwe militia inside the Hôtel des Mille Collines in Kigali.
Resesabagina efforts saw him awarded the US Presidential Medal of Freedom by George W Bush.
His story was also turned into the Hollywood hit Hotel Rwanda, with Don Cheadle earning an Oscar nomination for his turn as Resesabagina in the 2004 movie.
Now the actor and his Hollywood friends are joining Resesabagina’s daughter’s campaign to free her father, after he was jailed two years ago on charges she claims are fake.
“My father is being falsely accused,” Carine Kanimba tells 9News.
“These are completely fabricated charges and in fact, in the past 15 years, the Rwandan government has done this many times before.”
Resesabagina was arrested on terrorism-related charges in August 2020.
However, human rights activists believe his conviction in September 2021 and resulting 25-year prison sentence is politically motivated after he publicly criticised president Paul Kagame.
“My father knew from the beginning that soon enough people will begin to realise that these are lies and they’ll begin to use their voices and follow his example,” Kanimba says.
His legal fight is being led by Australian Kate Gibson.
Now, with the future king and the leaders of the Commonwealth back in Rwanda, Resesabagina’s family wants the focus back on him and is calling on Anthony Albanese to lead the fight.
“I’m calling on the Prime Minister not to remain neutral, to call on President Kagame to let my father go,” Kanimba says.
