The US court this week dismissed the case brought before them by the family of Paul Rusesabagina, a terrorist convict who was found guilty by Rwandan courts for masterminding a series of terror attacks in Rwanda between 2018 and 2019. At least nine civilians were killed in the attacks that mainly took place in south western Rwanda, while others were injured and property destroyed or looted. The attacks were carried out by the FLN militia outfit, which was formed by Rusesabagina, as part of his plot to violently overthrow the government in Kigali. Rusesabagina was arrested in 2020. Back to the court ruling, it only vindicates Rwanda, and a smack in the face of critics who, confronted with a mountain of evidence that pinned him, resorted to excuses claiming that he was kidnapped and brought to Rwanda. The US judge also put to rest claims that Rusesabagina was tortured during his time in Rwanda, ridiculous as it is because he himself is on record, both in interviews he gave to a couple of media houses – including New York Times, and in court, saying that he was never tortured. His family and some so-called campaigners, including a handful of misinformed Hollywood actors have been banking on this case to win public sympathy while others have been using it to advance their own personal profiles. Now that the case is settled and Rusesabagina and his co-accused exhausted their legal recourse after losing on appeal, it is only fair that countries like the United States consider giving justice to the victims, especially by paying the reparations for his atrocities. They have been waiting for justice for over two years, since court awarded them Rwf400m in compensation, paltry as it is going by the damage caused. It is a known fact that Rusesabagina has property in the United States which can be attached and the proceeds go towards paying compensation of the survivors including those whose breadwinners were killed in the attack while others were left with life-changing injuries.
