Paul Rusesabagina Wife: Who Is Tatiana Rusesabagina?

Tatiana Rusesabagina is the second and current wife of Paul Rusesabagina.

Born in 1958, Tatiana was portrayed by Sophie Okonedo, in the 2004 film Hotel Rwanda.

She is a trained nurse and a Tutsi.

The duo got married in 1989, and have a son named Tresor. They also had a daughter who died a few days after birth.

She plays a motherly role in the lives of Paul’s first three children from his first wife, Esther, who is now late.

Who Is Paul Rusesabagina?

Paul Rusesabagina is a well known human rights activist, and a former manager of the Hôtel des Mille Collines in Kigali.

Born on June 15, 1954, in Murama, Kigali, Ruanda-Urundi, Paul had played a notable role during the Rwandan genocide by accommodating 1,268 Hutu and Tutsi fleeing refugees in his hotel.

His humane gesture which led to no loss of life during the genocide, led to the making of the historical war film Hotel Rwanda in 2004.

Paul later gained international recognition and became a public speaker and activist.

In 2006, Paul founded the Hotel Rwanda Rusesabagina Foundation. He now holds both Belgian and American citizenship, with properties in Brussels, Belgium and San Antonio, Texas.

Paul was a critic of the RPF government, and later founded the PDR-Ihumure political party in 2006.

In 2020, he was arrested in Kigali, over terrorism clsims and charged with 29 others. He was later sentenced to 25 years in prison in 2021.

The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention rendered had termed the arrest as illegal kidnapping, stating that “Paul had been targeted by the Government on account of his criticisms of the government.”

In 2023, it was announced that Paul will be released from prison.

Paul has received many awards for his human rights activities, and wrote many books including his autobiography An Ordinary Man.