In a couple of weeks the chickens are coming home to roost: the long-awaited Rusesabagina sentence will be handed down. If he is found not guilty, so be it. He will walk out of court a free man. If found guilty, I hope they throw away the keys.
Either way, the Rwandan justice system will have triumphed because Rusesabagina has received a free and fair trial no matter the protestations of Rwanda’s enemies and critics who have been advocating for his un-conditional release.
Much has been made of Rusesabagina’s Hollywood created “heroism” and having been awarded a US Presidential Medal of Freedom. This is all nonsense. The movie “Hotel Rwanda” was fiction, hyped to bring in good sales in theaters , and Rusesabagina’s handlers seized the chance to create their “hero” and he run to the bank smiling. And as for the Medal of Freedom, this was America’s way of atoning its failure to step forward and stop the genocide against Tutsi.
None of this has a bearing on the terrorism charges Rusesabagina is charged with. His defenders in America and elsewhere have belittled the seriousness of the charges against him as well as the loss of innocent lives as a result of Rusesabagina’s alleged attacks on innocent Rwandans. His freedom pales in light of the terrible suffering and lost lives caused by the FLN — activities that Rusesabagina has publicly admitted to.
A closer look at Rusesabagina’s defenses borders on the comical, were it not for the seriousness of the charges. Here are a few of them, but hold your laughter;
I AM NOT A MUNYARWANDA: Well, what relevance is this? Whether from Mars or Jupiter, if you commit crimes on Rwandan soil you must be held accountable. In reality however, Rusesabagina is a MUNYARWANDA, and holding Belgian citizenship and being a Green Card holder that gives him residence in America does not strip him of his Rwanda nationality.
I WAS KIDNAPPED: No you were not. You just dialed a wrong number, fool. This defense deserves no response. Lured by a friend onto a private jet bound for destination un-known, Rusesabagina’s ego got the best of him. He had become accustomed to special treatment that boarding a private jet he did not reserve nor pay for was the norm. Fools get what they deserve.
I AM A MEDAL OF FREEDOM HOLDER: Well, wear it and shut up. Bill Cosby, a convicted sex offender is also a holder of the same medal.
I AM A PHILANTHROPIST AND HUMAN RIGHTS ADVOCATE: Baloney. You are nothing but a second rate hotelier who exploited the genocide against Tutsi for personal gain. You are genocide denier, negationist per excellence who deserves no mention in history books but for the carnage you have visited upon innocent Rwandans.
ALL EVIDENCE IS FABRICATED: No accused has ever said that the evidence against them was clear and convincing. Nice try, Paul.
I CANNOT RECEIVE A FAIR TRIAL: Not only has he received a fair and open trial, but court has bent backwards to accommodate Rusesabagina’s often ridiculous demands, clearly made to engage his international sympathizers whom he hoped would secure his release. Did I mention that Rusesabagina was among the first Rwandans to receive a COVID-19 vaccine?
Paul, thou protests too much. You are in detention charged with serious offenses, not vacationing on The Riviera.
I have watched Rusesabagina’s trial closely, and clearly he has not been getting good legal advice. Every time he was given a chance to address court he indicted himself. He ought to have heeded the advice, once you find yourself in a hole, you stop digging.
If nothing comes out of Rusesabagina’s trial, one thing will have been made clear: Rwanda’s judiciary is independent and cannot be influenced by outsiders. Rwanda is a sovereign and independent state that takes no directives from outsiders. The lies and fabrications made by Rusesabagina’s family to the international press are just that: lies, and hopeless pleas for an avowed terrorist and genocidaire.
Justice delayed is justice denied. This chapter ought to end.
Well said! ????