Published on : 11/08/2022 – 14:44
For the last leg of his African tour, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Rwandan President Paul Kagame, with whom he discussed human rights issues, including the fate of “Hotel Rwanda” hero Paul Rusesabagina.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday 11 August voiced US human rights concerns in Rwandaduring discussions with President Paul Kagame, in Kigali.
He particularly addressed the fate of the hero of “Hotel Rwanda”, Paul Rusesabagina, who since last year has been serving a 25-year prison sentence for “terrorism” and has permanent resident status in the United States.
Antony Blinken was speaking during a brief visit to Rwanda, the third and final leg of his African tour after South Africa and Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). “As I said to President Kagame, we believe that people in all countries should be able to express their opinions without fear of intimidation, imprisonment, violence or any other form of repression,” said Antony Blinken during a press conference in Kigali.
He also underlined “the American concerns” regarding “the lack of fair trial guarantees” provided to Paul Rusesabagina. The family of the latter had precisely indicated in a press release that they hoped from Antony Blinken that his “direct commitment” would help put an end to their “nightmare” and that of their loved one, whose health is deteriorating according to her.
Paul Rusesabagina, 68, was made famous by the film “Hotel Rwanda”, released in 2004, which tells how this moderate Hutu who ran the Hotel des Mille Collines in the Rwandan capital saved more than 1,000 people during the genocide of the Tutsi in 1994. In May, Washington considered that he was “unjustly detained” by Rwandan justice.
“Regional stability”
Prior to the Secretary of State’s arrival, civil society and NGOs had called for an American position on the issue of human rights, Human Rights Watch calling on Antony Blinken to “urgently signify (in Kigali) that there would be consequences for government repression and abuse in Rwanda and beyond.”
Echoing this, Rwandan opposition leader Victoire Ingabire said that Antony Blinken should “raise the issue of imprisoned journalists and politicians” for opposing Paul Kagame’s government.
The US Secretary of State also indicated that he had discussed with Paul Kagame the question of alleged support for a rebel group in the DRC, the M23, a subject he had raised the day before in Kinshasa.
According to a report by experts commissioned by the United Nations, and consulted in early August by AFP, the Rwandan army has “launched military interventions against Congolese armed groups and positions of the Congolese Armed Forces” since November 2021 and until in June 2022. Kigali categorically denied.
With AFP