[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 106 (Wednesday, June 22, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E654-E655]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  CALLING ON THE GOVERNMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF RWANDA TO RELEASE PAUL 
                  RUSESABAGINA ON HUMANITARIAN GROUNDS

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                        HON. SHEILA JACKSON LEE

                                   of

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 21, 2022

  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 892: 
Calling on the Government of the Republic of Rwanda to Release Paul 
Rusesabagina on Humanitarian Grounds.
  The resolution calls on the government of Rwanda to immediately 
release Paul Rusesabagina on humanitarian grounds, ensure that he 
receives access to appropriate qualified medical professionals and all 
medical care, and permit him to return safely to the United States .
  The resolution als urges the U.S. government in all interactions with 
the government of Rwanda to raise e case of Paul Rusesabagina and to 
press for his immediate release on humanitarian grounds.
  Paul Rusesabagina is a 67-year-old cancer survivor who suffers from a 
cardiovascular disorder, and his permanent residency is in Texas.
  He is also very special in the eyes of our entire nation, as he is a 
Presidential Medal of Freedom honoree.
  He came to global prominence because he was the manager of the Hotel 
des Mille Collines in Kigali, a hotel that provided safe haven to over 
1,200 Hutu and Tutsi refugees during the 1994 Rwandan genocide.
  In August 2020, Mr. Rusesabagina, on a flight meant to land in 
Burundi, was extrajudicially transferred to Kigali by the Rwandan 
government and put on trial.
  He was immediately arrested, although the Rwandan government did not 
acknowledge his detention for three days during which he was reportedly 
subjected to torture.
  Paul Rusesabagina was sentenced to 25 years in prison on September 
20, 2021.
  The rogue extrajudicial transfer of Mr. Rusesabagina from Texas to 
Rwanda, and the subsequent trial, have been widely criticized by human 
rights organizations for the lack of fair trial standards, including 
violations of attorney-client privilege.
  Human Rights Watch called the trial ``flawed'' and ``emblematic of 
the government's overreach and manipulation of the justice system.''
  The U.S. State Department said it was ``concerned'' about 
Rusesabagina's ``lack of confidential, unimpeded access to his lawyers 
and relevant case documents and his initial lack of access to 
counsel.''
  His own daughters only get to speak to him for about five minutes 
once a week.
  Mr. Rusesabagina has been a vocal critic of Rwandan President Paul 
Kagame, accusing the president of war crimes and human rights 
violations, and is suffering because of it.
  Our Constitution was built with the belief that every person has the 
right to express political dissent.
  An attack on free speech anywhere is an attack on our American 
values.
  The reported lack of fair trial guarantees calls into question the 
fairness of the verdict and the lack of protections meant to be 
consistent with Rwanda's international commitment.
  To allow a foreign government to abduct and hold hostage an American 
permanent resident without a fair trial is to turn our back on a 
fundamental rule of law and democracy.
  I urge all my colleagues to support H. Res. 892, calling on the 
Government of the Republic of Rwanda to Release Paul Rusesabagina on 
Humanitarian Grounds.

[[Page E655]]

  

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