Rusesabagina was released late Friday and will return to the United States after the Kigali government commuted his 25-year sentence on terrorism charges.
KIGALI - Rwandan government critic Paul Rusesabagina, whose efforts to save people during the 1994 genocide were portrayed in hit Hollywood film "Hotel Rwanda", has been freed from prison after more than 900 days behind bars.
His sentence was "commuted by presidential order", as were the prison terms of 19 co-defendants convicted alongside him, government spokeswoman Yolande Makolo told AFP. "This is the result of a shared desire to reset US-Rwanda relationship," Kagame's press secretary Stephanie Nyombayire tweeted Friday, adding the close relationship between Rwanda and Qatar was "key"."Paul's family is eager to welcome him back to the United States, and I share their joy at today's good news," he said in a statement.
Rusesabagina is credited with helping save almost 1,200 lives during the 100-day slaughter that left about 800,000 Rwandans dead and ended with a new Tutsi-dominated government. Talks on a potential release started at the end of 2022 and a breakthrough came last week in discussions between Kagame and Qatar's emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, a source with knowledge of the negotiations said.
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