Paul Rusesabagina, the man who inspired the film Hotel Rwanda has landed in the United States after being released from a Rwandan prison last week.
Mr Rusesabagina, a permanent resident of the United States, was sentenced to 25 years in prison in September 2021 for his links to an organisation opposed to Rwandan President Paul Kagame that has an armed wing.
The 68-year-old, an outspoken critic of Kagame, claims he was lured to Rwanda in 2019 after boarding a private plane in Dubai that he mistook for a flight to Bujumbura, Burundi. Instead, the plane grounded in Kigali, where he was apprehended.
Following months of negotiations between Washington and Kigali, he was released on Friday after Kagame commuted his sentence, and landed in Doha on Monday. According to reports, he boarded a plane in Qatar bound for Houston.
Rusesabagina received worldwide acclaim after being portrayed by actor Don Cheadle in the 2004 film Hotel Rwanda, which portrayed him as a hero who endangered his life as the manager of a luxury hotel during the 1994 Rwandan genocide.
Rusesabagina’s detention had strained Washington’s traditionally close relations with Rwanda, as had US allegations, denied by Kigali, that Rwanda had sent troops into neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo and supported rebels there.
Rwanda has stated that Rusesabagina’s release stems from a shared wish to re-establish the US-Rwanda relationship.
During his trial, Rusesabagina admitted to being a leader in an opposition organisation but disputed responsibility for attacks carried out by its armed wing in Rwanda.
The two wings of the gang were indistinguishable, according to the trial judges.