Theres a popular saying among smart lawyers that if the facts are against you, argue the law. If the law is against you, argue the facts, if the law and the facts are against you, pound the table and yell like hell. This is precisely what members of Rusesabaginas terrorist organization National Liberation Front (NLF) and similar allied groups, as well as his foreign supporters, are doing in the aftermath of his arrest on terrorism charges. The most ridiculous and arrogant argument Rusesabaginas foreign handlers and surrogates have come up with is the Presidential Medal of Honor he received in 2005, insisting that somehow the medal bestows immunity on the recipient and he doesnt have to account for the crimes he committed against the Rwandan people. Never mind the fact that he was awarded the medal on the basis of a false narrative portrayed by Hollywood, that foreigners are even suggesting that the award puts him above the law, is a demonstration of how contemptuous they are for the Rwandan people. Indeed, Rusesabagina isnt the first Presidential Medal of Honor recipient to be arrested, tried, and convicted of crimes. Iconic African American comedian and philanthropist, Bill Cosby was awarded the same Medal of Honor in 2002. The 81-year-old was, in 2018, convicted of drugging and sexually assaulting women and handed up to ten years in prison and ordered to pay large sums of money. Given his advanced age, Cosby may easily spend the rest of his life behind bars. By a strange coincidence, the two men received the medals at different times from the same president: George W Bush. When Bill Cosby was arrested and convicted, America applauded, and a powerful lobby is now actively pushing for his Presidential Medal of Honor to be revoked. Now foreigners including Rusesabaginas American handlers are demanding his immediate release because as a recipient of the same medal he is untouchable. The line here is clear: While Bill Cosbys victims were largely white middle-class women, including Andrea Constand on whose case he was convicted, the victims of Rusesabaginas terrorist forces are Rwandans and thats what racism is all about. Its true that Paul Rusesagina perpetrated the most unprecedented fraud on the international community, way before he embarked on his terrorism mission, but the foreigners now screaming cant feign ignorance. He has, on multiple occasions, bragged to foreign audiences about the violence he was unleashing against the Rwandan people and it never occurred to them that they needed to call him out. Indeed, many of them continued to organize speaking engagements for him, with the sole purpose of smearing the government of Rwanda, as he raised money for his war. In a careful and calculated scheme, Rusesabagina was able to pull off a remarkably successful scam, presenting himself to the Western world as a hero who saved more than one thousand lives during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. It wasnt long before Hollywood, which lives and breathes fiction, released Hotel Rwanda and soon Rusesabagina was launched on the international scene as the hero. And he wasnt about to put to waste his new profile, as he went on to milk it for all its worth. Contrary to the character created by Hollywood, the true persona of Rusesabagina is captured in the testimonies of the people who sought refuge at the Hotel des Mille Collines. Far from being the humanitarian, he has claimed to be, Rusesabagina, during the genocide, was hand- in- glove with the perpetrators, including Interahamwe militia leaders and military commanders, often pointing out Tutsi targets to the killers. He forced the people who were under siege at the hotel to pay for the rooms and services against instructions from the Belgian proprietors of the facility, who had insisted that he doesnt demand payment from those who were fleeing the killers. Instead, Rusesabagina threw out anyone who couldnt afford to pay. He went on to disconnect the phone lines in the rooms to ensure the outside world didnt get to know what the people at the hotel and the country at large were going through. As he basked in his counterfeit Hollywood glory, Rusesabagina set out to accomplish what was all along close to his heart. He raised vast amounts of money, through a crafty and cynical scheme, using a Foundation named after him, purportedly to help genocide orphans in Rwanda. He wasnt about to help anybody, but was, instead, plotting to create more orphans in Rwanda. Rusesabagina formed an armed terrorist militia that soon launched violent attacks on Rwanda, in which a number of innocent people lost their lives, and more were left with serious injuries and permanent disabilities. As he travelled the world mobilizing and recruiting fighters for his terrorist project, Rusesabagina made no secret of his intentions to perpetrate violence against the Rwandan people. His recruitment drive and efforts to destabilize Rwanda are well documented. Towards the end of 2018, Rusesabagina gave a detailed presentation to an audience of his foreign supporters, bragging about what he was projecting as progress made by his (NLF) terrorist militia. He declared that since the beginning of July 2018 the NLF launched a military struggle to liberate Rwanda. He went on to assure them that he was working to enlist more Rwandan youth to the terrorist organisation. Indeed, on this occasion, Rusesabagina was referring to the bloody attacks the militia had launched in Nyamagabe and Nyaruguru in June and December 2018. In the aftermath of his arrest, foreign organizations as well as individuals that have, over the years, promoted Rusesabagina even after he had declared that he had formed an armed militia that was launching terrorist attacks on Rwanda, have been blindsided and thrown into panic. They have frantically started a smear campaign against the government of Rwanda, as they attempt to cover up their own complicity. They have put out news releases and are actively working the phones, telling whoever is prepared to listen that Rusesabagina is an innocent man who is going to be subjected to all manner of mistreatment. However, the campaign isnt working. After a meeting with Rwandas Ambassador to Washington, Mathilde Mukantabana, the United States Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Tibor Nagy, released a message stating that his government expects Rwanda to provide humane treatment, adhere to the rule of law and provide a fair and transparent legal process for Rusesabagina. The American government expectations as articulated by Mr. Nagy arent any different from what the Rwandan people themselves expect - A fair and transparent trial. The United States has, over the years, deported wanted Rwandan criminals precisely because Washington is confident the suspects are assured of a fair trial here. Similarly, Western countries have routinely removed from their territories, Rwandan criminals and handed to Kigali to be tried for all kinds violations of the law in Rwanda, because they trust the countrys judiciarys integrity. As it turns out the people making the loudest noise and throwing around all kinds of propaganda filth didnt take long to get their answer; not from the government of Rwanda, but from Rusesabagina himself. In an exclusive interview with the East African (September 3, 2020), he told the reporter that since his arrival he has been treated with kindness and given the freedom to choose my defence team. He will definitely have his day in court.
