CHICAGO - Sept. 25, 2020 - Paul Rusesabagina is a man of peace, not a terrorist. Nor is he the leader of any militia. The idea that he would partner with the former Rwandan military or militias who actively tried to kill him during the genocide, is not only inherently implausible, it is a claim which is entirely unsupported. He has never provided any funding or been directly involved with any military group. The Rwandan Movement for Democratic Change (MRCD) is a coalition of Rwandan parties in exile, which focus on democratic change. Paul is not, and never has been, the political leader of the National Liberation Front (FLN).
Following Paul Rusesabagina's court hearing in Kigali today, a number of false or misleading reports and/or headlines are circulating about what was said by Paul and others in the courtroom. To clarify these reports, Paul did not admit to either founding a terrorist group, or to leading the National Liberation Front (FLN) or taking part in any acts they may have committed.
Per Paul's statements, the Rwandan Movement for Democratic Change (MRCD) of which Paul's Party for Democracy in Rwanda (PDR) is a member, is a coalition of multiple parties. Paul is the President of his political party and an officer of the coalition. They had a memorandum of understanding between these parties, and the FLN was one of those parties. Paul's role in the MRCD was diplomacy, and he had nothing to do with the FLN's activities, as the FLN operated independently. Paul noted that the FLN was founded to draw the attention of the government of Rwanda to the plight of refugees who were being attacked in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
According to Paul's own words, it was not created to commit terrorism. Paul is also accused of funding the FLN and of admitting this under interrogation. In court today it was stated that the Rwandan government has produced no evidence of either the funding or the admission.
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Kitty Kurth
