Have you read the book, or seen the movie Hotel Rwanda? Today is International Human Rights Day. We can all agree that the human rights violations that occurred in Rwanda were atrocious and should never be allowed to occur again. Yet genocides continue around the world, these are large scale issues we can see when the media finds them important enough to cover.
But what about the smaller Human Rights Violations?
Paul Rusesabagina, the real-life hero of Hotel Rwanda, who saved countless lives through his selfless sacrifices during the Rwandan Genocide has been detained in Rwanda. He was kidnapped and taken by extraordinary rendition and wrongfully arrested by the Rwandan President Paul Kagame, who has been known to bring false charges against political dissidents and rivals.
Paul has been known to speak out against the Human Right Violations of the Rwandan government and for that he has been detained and left to fight for his life being cut off from communication from his family.
“Where, after all, do universal human rights begin? In small places, close to home -- so close and so small that they cannot be seen on any maps of the world. [...] Unless these rights have meaning there, they have little meaning anywhere. Without concerted citizen action to uphold them close to home, we shall look in vain for progress in the larger world." Eleanor Roosevelt
Elenore Roosevelt was the leading chairperson of the drafting committee of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
What can we do to help Paul, the man who saved so many?
Call the White House switchboard 202-456-1414 and ask President Trump to step in to save Rusesabagina.
Call your Senators, Members of Parliament, and ask them to put international diplomatic pressure on Rusesabagina’s release.
Share this post and other posts using #freerusesabagina to publicly call on President Kagame to release Rusesabagina.
“International days are occasions to educate the public on issues of concern, to mobilize political will and resources to address global problems, and to celebrate and reinforce achievements of humanity. “ – https://www.un.org/en/observances/human-rights-day
Let’s work together to create a world of tolerance and love, where each human can live their life without the fear of it being unjustly upended.