The daughter of an imprisoned Rwandan politician has slammed Boris Johnson for shaking hands with the despot who she claims "kidnapped" her dad.
Mr Johnson beamed as he posed alongside Rwanda's dictator Paul Kagame in the capital Kigali on Thursday.
Kagame is accused of human rights abuses, including torture, forced disappearances and even overseas murders.
Carine Kanimba claims the dictator was behind the "abduction" and imprisonment of her dad Paul Rusesabagina, who inspired the Oscar-nominated film Hotel Rwanda.
Mr Rusesabagina was a high-profile critic of Kagame before he was "snatched" in Dubai and returned to Rwanda to face trial.
Ms Kanimba told The Mirror: "It is inconceivable to us that the UK Prime Minster would smile and shake the hand of the man who is keeping our father behind bars.
"Kagame's Government has openly admitted paying for the plane that kidnapped my father.
"My father was then tortured, and subjected to a proceedings condemned as unfair by the international community.
"The UN, the EU Parliament, and the US State Department have called for his release.
"We ask Boris Johnson to stand together with leaders in the EU, US and thousands around the world to ask President Kagame to release our father and save his life."
Mr Rusesabagina helped save more than 1,000 lives during the Rwandan genocide in 1994, with his heroic efforts inspiring the 2004 film "Hotel Rwanda".
The former hotel manager went into exile in the US in 2004, before being "kidnapped" in Dubai and returned to Rwanda in 2020.
The Rwandan government has always said Mr Rusesabagina was arrested through an "international arrest warrant", although it has failed to provide details and his family claim he was kidnapped.
Mr Rusesabagina was jailed for 25 years on terrorism charges last year, with critics slamming the proceedings as a "show trial".
Mr Johnson met Kagame during the 2022 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, which is taking place this week.
Hosting the event was seen as a public relations win for Rwanda, although it has largely been overshadowed by Britain's recently announced plan to deport refugees to the country.
Prince Charles, who is in Kigali for the Commonwealth summit, is said to have described the scheme as "appalling".
Kagame has been linked to the murder of his former spy chief Patrick Karegeya in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 2014.
A few days after Mr Karegeya's death, Kagame ominously warned: "You can't betray Rwanda and not get punished for it.
"Anyone, even those still alive, will reap the consequences."
Despite this, the Rwandan dictator denied responsibility for the killing.
He said: "I actually wish Rwanda did it. I really wish it.”
According to well-respected NGOs and charities like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch (HRW), Rwanda has an extremely concerning record of human rights abuses, including concerns about torture and abortion rights.
Amnesty International's world report for 2021/22 highlighted concerns about the violation of basic human rights such as freedom of expression, where a free press does not exist and journalists are controlled or targeted.
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Press freedom watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF), said that "authoritarianism and censorship are likely to continue for the foreseeable future", due to the oppressive rule of Kagame.
Elsewhere, the country "backtracked on its previous commitments and rejected recommendations" on enforced disappearances.
Amnesty said: "Suspected enforced disappearances were reported and disappearances from previous years remained unresolved."
A UK government spokesperson said: “The Prime Minister is meeting Commonwealth world leaders to discuss pressing global challenges and strengthen the Commonwealth alliance.
“Rwanda is an important partner for the UK, including through the successful Migration and Economic Development Partnership.”
“As the Minister for Africa made clear recently, the UK shares the concerns of our international partners about due process in the case of Paul Rusesabagina, which we have raised.”
