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‘Hotel Rwanda’ Hero Set to Be Freed From Prison: Report

The Biden White House was reportedly instrumental in agreeing a deal with Rwandan authorities.

Paul Rusesabagina, the man whose life-saving actions during the Rwandan genocide were dramatized in the movie Hotel Rwanda, is set to be released from prison, according to a report Friday. Rusesabagina, who was portrayed by Don Cheadle in the film, was convicted of terrorism and jailed in 2021 over his role leading the Rwandan Movement for Democratic Change (MRCD). The militant wing of the group was accused of conducting atrocities against civilians, though Rusesabagina—who helped to save over 1,000 people during the 1994 genocide—denied responsibility, with the State Department saying last year he’d been “wrongfully detained.” Semafor now reports that Rusesabagina could be free as soon as Saturday after the Biden administration and Qatari officials helped negotiate his release. The outlet adds that Rusesabagina has written a letter to Rwandan President Paul Kagame promising to withdraw from political life and “spend the remainder of my days in the United States in quiet reflection.”