‘Hotel Rwanda’ hero found guilty of terror-related charges

KIGALI, Rwanda (AP) — A court in Rwanda says the man who inspired the film “Hotel Rwanda,” Paul Rusesabagina, is guilty of terror-related offenses.

Rusesabagina boycotted Monday’s announcement after declaring he didn’t expect justice in a trial he called a “sham.”

He has so far been found guilty of the formation of an illegal armed group and membership in a terrorist group. The verdict is still being read out on charges of murder, abduction, and armed robbery as an act of terrorism.

The ruling comes more than a year after Rusesabagina disappeared during a visit to Dubai and appeared days later in Rwanda in handcuffs, accused of supporting the armed wing of his opposition political platform, Rwandan Movement for Democratic Change. The group had claimed some responsibility for attacks in 2018 and 2019 in the south of the country in which nine Rwandans died.

Rusesabagina has maintained his innocence, and his family alleges he was kidnapped and taken to Rwanda against his will.