Belgium is "
worried
" about the fate of the Rwandan justice system for Paul Rusesabagina, hero of the film "
Hotel Rwanda
", tried since mid-February in Kigali for "
terrorism
", Foreign Minister Sophie Wilmès said on Monday.
To read also: Paul Rusesabagina, hero of "Hotel Rwanda" judged in Kigali: his daughter summons Belgium to intervene
The Belgian minister expressed it during a meeting in Brussels with her Rwandan counterpart, Vincent Biruta, it is specified in a press release. Fierce critic of the regime of Rwandan President Paul Kagame, Paul Rusesabagina, who had been living in exile since 1996 in the United States and Belgium (country of which he obtained nationality) was arrested at the end of August 2020 in troubled conditions by the Rwandan police in Kigali. Since February 17 he has been on trial in this city, targeted by nine charges including that of "
terrorism
", a trial that he considers unfair and to which he refused to appear after a month. “
Belgium expects its fellow citizen to benefit from a fair, equitable and transparent trial,
” Ms. Wilmès said.
The Minister, "
expressed her concerns about the fact that Paul Rusesabagina was obviously not in a position to properly prepare his defense in view, in particular, of the time allotted to him and the fact that the confidentiality of the documents exchanged with his lawyers was not respected
”. "
Sophie Wilmès also repeated Belgium's request to give Paul Rusesabagina the opportunity to meet his Belgian lawyer within the framework of the procedures currently underway in our country, which is still not possible at this time
", continues the communicated. In December the Brussels lawyer of Paul Rusesabagina, Vincent Lurquin, had denounced to AFP the fact that he was denied access to his client, victim of "
a kidnapping by ruse
From the Rwandan authorities, through a Burundian pastor. Me Lurquin had announced that a complaint had been lodged in Belgium. On a flight from the United States, Rusesabagina arrived in Dubai on August 26, from where he boarded a private jet six hours later. He then thought of going to Burundi at the invitation of a pastor, Constantin Niyomwungere, to speak in his churches. At the end of February, the government of Rwanda admitted to having "
facilitated
" this trip after which he was arrested in Kigali, by paying money to a man whose identity has not been revealed, presented as a former "
accomplice
" of the opponent.
