‘Hotel Rwanda' Hero Faces Bail Hearing on Terrorism Charges
Posted: Thu Sep 17, 2020 12:30 am
Paul Rusesabagina, center, who inspired the film 'Hotel Rwanda' for saving people from genocide, appears at the Kicukiro Primary Court in Kigali, Rwanda, on Sept. 14, 2020.
A Rwandan court could decide Thursday whether the man who inspired the film "Hotel Rwanda" will be granted bail after being charged earlier this week with terrorism, complicity in murder and forming an armed rebel group.
Paul Rusesabagina, who has been detained since late last month, is asking to be released because of poor health.
Rusesabagina refused to plead to all 13 charges on Monday, including being linked to murders, claiming some of the charges are baseless.
Prosecutors accuse Rusesabagina of orchestrating crimes against unarmed, innocent Rwandan civilians in 2018.
The film "Hotel Rwanda" portrayed Rusesabagina, a former hotel manager, as a hero who protected Tutsis fleeing the 1994 genocide in Rwanda.
He is credited with saving more than 1,000 lives.