Carine Kanimba

Carine Kanimba is a resilient survivor of Rwanda’s 1994 genocide, where her father, Paul Rusesabagina, heroically saved over 1,200 lives in his hotel—a story later immortalized in the film Hotel Rwanda. In a harrowing turn of events, her father was forcibly taken to Rwanda in 2020 and unjustly imprisoned for speaking out against the tyranny of the Rwandan president. As a dedicated global human rights advocate, Carine, alongside her family, led the #FreeRusesabagina campaign, shedding light on her father’s wrongful detention and ultimately securing his release in 2023 after two and a half years as a political prisoner. Carine’s commitment to justice has come at a personal cost. Amnesty International and Citizen Lab confirmed, through forensic analysis, that her phone was infected with Pegasus spyware, likely deployed by the Rwandan government. Her continuous surveillance was further exposed by journalists from the Forbidden Stories collective. In 2021, Carine testified before the U.S. Congress House Intelligence Committee and the European Parliament, sharing her firsthand experience as a target of Pegasus. She continues to advocate for the regulation of the commercial spyware industry and accountability for its abuse against human rights defenders and journalists. Carine has also spoken out against Rwanda’s use of sportswashing—the strategic hosting of global sporting events and sponsorships to launder its international image and divert attention from human rights abuses. She has warned that these efforts aim to whitewash the government’s authoritarian actions and silence dissent on the global stage. Carine was honored with the Heroes of Democracy Award from the Renew Democracy Initiative in April 2023, the Global Magnitsky Justice Award for Young Human Rights Activists in November 2023 and the Inspiring Woman of the Year Award 2024 from the Berkeley Global Society and the International Chambers of Commerce. She has appeared on CNN, Al Jazeera, BBC, NPR, Channel 4, The Guardian, France 24, TV5 Monde, Le Soir, The Washington Post, The New York Times, Financial Times, Paris Match, and The Sunday Times, among others. Currently serving as the spokesperson for the World Liberty Congress, Carine remains an active advocate for justice, human rights, and global liberties.