Lantos Foundation Applauds British Parliament’s Magnitsky Caucus Recommendation to Sanction Rwandan Officials

December 9, 2021 – The Lantos Foundation applauds the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Magnitsky Sanctions for its decision to recommend that the U.K. Government sanction two individuals involved in the kidnapping and torture of Paul Rusesabagina, the humanitarian hero of Hotel Rwanda. Members of the APPG on Magnitsky Sanctions, a cross-peer group of the British Parliament, held a Westminster Hall debate on December 8 highlighting key human rights abusers and urging the government to take action to ensure they face consequences for their violations. Former Rwandan Justice Minister Johnston Busingye and head of the Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB) Colonel Jeannot Ruhunga were among the individuals recommended for sanctioning.

The Lantos Foundation filed a Magnitsky submission in May 2021, urging the U.S. Departments of State and Treasury to sanction Busingye and Ruhunga, both of whom have publicly admitted their involvement in the illegal rendition of Mr. Rusesabagina. The U.S. has not yet taken public action to sanction the Rwandan officials named in the filing, though the Lantos Foundation continues to advocate for it to do so. The Foundation has also called on other democratic nations that have adopted Magnitsky-style legislation, including the United Kingdom, to impose sanctions on Busingye and Ruhunga.

The question of whether to sanction Mr. Busingye is particularly relevant to the U.K., as he was abruptly relieved of his duties as Justice Minister earlier this year and named as Rwanda’s high commissioner, or ambassador, to the United Kingdom. At the time, the Lantos Foundation urged the U.K. Government not to accept Mr. Busingye’s credentials and instead to apply Magnitsky sanctions for his clear role in the human rights abuses against Mr. Rusesabagina.

Speaking at the Westminster Hall debate, Chris Bryant MP, Chair of the APPG on Magnitsky Sanctions, remarked, “As far as I understand it, the U.K. has still not yet given its agrément to this appointment. I hope it will announce today that it has absolutely no intention of doing so because [Busingye] should be on our list of sanctioned individuals, not people being escorted to Buckingham Palace to have their credentials agreed by Her Majesty.”

Lantos Foundation President Dr. Katrina Lantos Swett said, “I am truly grateful to Chris Bryant and the other British MPs and peers who are boldly standing up to the dictatorial regime of Rwanda and firmly asserting that its actions against Paul Rusesabagina have been a flagrant violation of his human rights. By lifting the curtain on the human rights violations of a fellow member of the Commonwealth, these legislators are leading the way toward righting this egregious wrong and helping get Mr. Rusesabagina released and returned home to his family. Their actions stand in stark contrast to the U.S. Government, which still refuses to publicly engage on behalf of one of its own. The inaction on the part of the U.S., where Paul is a Permanent Resident, is shameful and incredibly frustrating for all those who stand on the side of the justice.”

Background: Paul Rusesabagina, the humanitarian hero whose story was depicted in the film Hotel Rwanda, received the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2005 and was honored in 2011 with the Lantos Human Rights Prize. In late August 2020, he was kidnapped and flown against his will to Kigali, Rwanda. He was imprisoned, tortured and forced to undergo a sham trial that ended in October 2021 with a guilty verdict, at which time he was sentenced to 25 years in prison. A variety of legal organizations, human rights groups and government officials from around the world have decried the illegal rendition and trial, noting that Mr. Rusesabagina’s rights have been violated at virtually every stage. As a 67-year-old man with serious health conditions, his family and other supporters have implored the Rwandan government to release him immediately on humanitarian grounds.

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About the Lantos Foundation for Human Rights & Justice: The Lantos Foundation was established in 2008 to carry forward the legacy of Congressman Tom Lantos, the only Holocaust survivor ever elected to the U.S. Congress and a leading human rights champion. The Foundation works with a range of partners and often in cooperation with the U.S. Government on issues that span the globe. The Foundation’s key areas of focus include human rights issues related to religious freedom, rule of law, internet freedom and activist art. The Foundation also administers the Lantos Congressional Fellows Program, supports human rights advocates, activists and artists through its Front Line Fund grant program, and awards the annual Lantos Human Rights Prize to honor and bring attention to heroes of the human rights movement. Past recipients of the Prize include His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Professor Elie Wiesel, the real-life hero of Hotel Rwanda Paul Rusesabagina, Israeli President Shimon Peres, Iraqi Parliamentarian Vian Dakhil, Hong Kong Democracy activist Joshua Wong, Bill Browder, the driving force behind the global Magnitsky movement, among others.