After being freed from prison in his native Rwanda, Paul Rusesabagina—who was depicted as a hero in the Hollywood film Hotel Rwanda—arrived in Qatar.
According to a White House representative, Mr. Rusesabagina landed in Doha, Qatar’s capital, on Monday after departing from Rwanda.
According to reports, John Kirby, the coordinator of the US National Security Council, said, “I can confirm that Paul Rusesabagina has left Rwanda and is currently in Doha,”
“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 supporters described the proceedings as a sham.
According to a government spokesperson, the punishment was commuted by presidential decree. Mr. Rusesabagina had resided in the US since 2009, and there had been years of diplomatic pressure from that country.
He was tricked into flying to Rwanda in 2020 while actually intending to fly to nearby Burundi. Majed al-Ansari, a spokesman for the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs, tweeted on Friday that the procedure for his transfer to Qatar, from which Mr. Rusesabagina will travel to the US, was in progress. Paul Kagame, the president of Rwanda, conferred with Amir Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani last Tuesday while he was in Doha. Three days afterward, Mr. Rusesabagina was freed.
Mr. Rusesabagina’s release has long been demanded by the US, but relations between Washington and Rwanda have not been strong due to Washington’s concerns about the government’s handling of human rights.
Around 1,200 persons are said to have been saved by Mr. Rusesabagina during the Rwandan genocide in 1994.
