Does Sam Bee Really Support Paul Kagame?

Dear Samantha Bee,

My name is Alyson Chadwick and as an aspiring comedian, you have always been one of my heroes. From your days as a fearless correspondent for The Daily Show to the development of your own show on TBS, your work has been inspirational to me and others. Your work on behalf of refugees and for social justice has been equally inspiring. This is why your decision to gloss over the gross human rights abuses and other crimes against humanity committed by Rwandan President Paul Kagame is so upsetting.

Your recent segment on Rwanda and the ways the nation approaches conservation and refugees can easily be used by the current regime to justify their actions. Any positive stories about Rwanda are turned into promotional material for the Kagame regime.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lANszrGda4

From the outside, Rwanda does look like a great success story. The economy looks good, though it has been propped up by international aid and the widespread looting of neighboring Congo (Rwanda supplies other nations with gems and minerals needed in a plethora of products but has none of those resources itself). The streets are clean and the people may seem welcoming. Scratch the surface and the reality is much more grim.

Over the past few weeks, evidence has surfaced that Kagame has been one of the leaders using Pegasus software, produced and sold by the Israeli security firm NSO, to spy on people born in Rwanda. These people are all over the world. One is Carine Kanimba, Paul Rusesabagina’s daughter and American citizen. She is not alone.

People can leave Rwanda but Kagame’s tentacles are long. All over the world, his perceived enemies disappear. Some have been killed. Last August, he kidnapped, arrested and tortured Rusesabagina. The crimes he alleges Rusesabagina committed were dismissed in 2010 by both the American and Belgian governments because there is no evidence. Since then, Rusesabagina’s human rights have been routinely and regularly violated. From spending 210 days in solitary confinement (considered to be torture by Amnesty International) to being denied access to his medication, family, lawyers, and, at some times, water and food, nothing about this trial is fair or just.