Family of 'Hotel Rwanda hero' calls on United States, EU and Belgium to help free him

FILE PHOTO: Paul Rusesabagina, portrayed as a hero in a Hollywood movie about Rwanda's 1994 genocide, is escorted in handcuffs from the courtroom in Kigali, Rwanda September 25, 2020. REUTERS/Clement Uwiringiyimana

KIGALI (Reuters) - The family of Paul Rusesabagina, the former hotelier portrayed as a hero in a film about Rwanda’s 1994 genocide, on Thursday called on the United States, the European Union and Belgium to appeal for his release from prison in Rwanda.

Rusesabagina, a political dissident who lived in exile in Belgium and the United States, was charged with terrorism and other offences last month after he returned to Rwanda and was arrested in August.