Francisco Guerreiro calls on the EU to ensure the legality of the arrest and trial of Mr Rusesabagina

Lisbon, 17 September 2020 - MEP Francisco Guerreiro (Greens/EFA) calls for immediate action by the European Union (EU) to ensure the legality of the arrest and trial of Belgian citizen and human rights activist Paul Rusesabagina.

In a letter to the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, Francisco Guerreiro and other MEPs say they are “extremely worried” with Rusesabagina’s arrest in Rwanda and call for action so that “his rights as a European citizen are respected in all phases of this process,” says the letter.

Paul Rusesabagina, who inspired the feature film Hotel Rwanda - a portrayal of his role in saving more than 1200 moderate Hutus and Tutsis from the Interahamwe militia during the Rwandan genocide - was arrested on 27 August in Kigali, Rwanda. Rusesabagina took a flight from the US to Dubai, where he was allegedly tricked into travelling onwards to Rwanda where he was arrested by the authorities on arrival.

“It is no secret that Mr. Rusesabagina is an avid critic of the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) and the current President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame. His arrest by Rwandan Government forces is a stark reminder that critics of the government and opposition politicians face continued and unrelenting harassment by security forces,” write the MEPs.

Read the full letter below.

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