US says ‘Hotel Rwanda’ hero Rusesabagina ‘wrongly detained’
Rusesabagina, 67, He has acknowledged having a leadership role in the Rwanda Movement for Democratic Change (MRCD), but denied responsibility for attacks carried out by its armed wing, the National Liberation Front (FLN). The trial judges said the two groups were indistinguishable.The “wrongfully detained” designation means the responsibility for the case will now be transferred from the State Department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs to the office of the Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs, effectively raising the issue’s political profile.Under 2020 legislation passed by Congress, there are criteria outlined in 11 points, based on which the Secretary of State can make the designation of wrongfully detained.Among those are the cases of individuals who are being detained solely or substantially because they are an American citizen or with the purpose of influencing U.S. government policy.
