Carine Kanimba survived Rwanda’s 1994 genocide, during which her father, Paul Rusesabagina, saved more than 1,200 people in his hotel. This story was portrayed in the film “Hotel Rwanda.” In 2020, her father was forcibly rendered to Rwanda and imprisoned for speaking out against the tyranny of the Rwandan president. As a global human rights advocate, Kanimba and her family led the #FreeRusesabagina campaign, which led to his release in 2023 after 2.5 years of unjust imprisonment. As a target of Pegasus spyware, she testified in front of the US House Intelligence Committee in July 2021. She was honored with the Heroes of Democracy Award from the Renew Democracy Initiative in April 2023. She is a graduate of Northwestern University and went on to receive a Masters in Law and Economics from Aix-Marseille University, Erasmus University Rotterdam, and the University of Bologna.
