One month since the international human rights icon was kidnapped and jailed in Rwanda
CHICAGO – Oct. 1, 2020 – This morning, the family and legal team of wrongly jailed humanitarian Paul Rusesabagina held a virtual press conference. Rusesabagina, the international human rights icon whose incredible story of saving 1,268 people during the Rwandan Genocide was told in the film Hotel Rwanda, was kidnapped from Dubai and is being detained illegally in Rwanda. Today marks one month since Rusesabagina was captured. His family and legal team, speaking from both Belgium – where Paul is a citizen and the United States, where Paul is a resident – presented updates on the situation and asked for help securing Paul’s immediate release. Video link at end of press release.
Press conference participants in order of appearance included:
Kitty Kurth (Moderator) – Kurth is the president of Kurth Lampe Worldwide, an international public affairs firm that has represented Paul Rusesabagina for over a decade.
Dr. Brian Endless – Endless is a political science professor at Loyola University-Chicago and senior adviser for the Hotel Rwanda Rusesabagina Foundation
The Rusesabagina Family –
Carine Kanimba
Trésor Rusesabagina
Anaïse Kanimba
Diane Rusesabagina (Dutch and English)
Roger Rusesabagina (Kinyarwanda and English)
Lys Rusesabagina (French and English)
Peter Robinson- Robinson is an American lawyer who has defended persons accused at the International Criminal Court and international war crimes tribunals for Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia for the past 20 years. He most recently served as Lead Counsel to former Bosnian Serb President Radovan Karadzic. Prior to beginning work at the international tribunals, Mr. Robinson was a federal prosecutor in the United States for 10 years, and then a criminal defence lawyer based in Northern California.
Mr. Robinson is part of the expert team of international human rights lawyers that Paul’s family has chosen to represent him. Paul has only been allowed access to the lawyers that the Kagame government has chosen for him. Not only has the Rwandan government turned away the attorney the family has chosen multiple times, but they are also preventing Paul from even learning his family has arranged independent legal representation that will not be paid for by the people of Rwanda.
Former U.S. Congressman Patrick J. Kennedy joined by phone to lend his support, sharing that the entire Kennedy family stands with Paul.
You can watch a rebroadcast on the #FreeRusesabagina Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/FreePaulRusesabagina
#FreeRusesabagina
###