After being freed from prison in his native Rwanda, Paul Rusesabagina, who was portrayed as a hero in the Hollywood film Hotel Rwanda, arrived in Qatar.
According to a White House representative, Rusesabagina arrived in Doha, Qatar’s capital, on Monday after departing from Rwanda.
“I can confirm that Paul Rusesabagina has left Rwanda and is currently in Doha,” US National Security Council co-ordinator John Kirby is quoted as saying by reports.
“He will soon be making his way back to the United States. And his family is, as I’m sure no one is surprised, they’re eager to welcome him back here, home.”
Two years after being given a 25-year prison term for terrorism, talks mediated by Qatar resulted in his release from jail over the weekend. His defenders described the trial as a fraud.
According to a government official, the sentence was remitted by presidential authority. Mr. Rusesabagina had lived in the US since 2009, and there had been years of diplomatic pressure from that country.
Some 1,200 persons are said to have been saved by Mr. Rusesabagina during the Rwandan genocide in 1994.