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First UK Charges Filed Over 1994 Rwanda Genocide

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Dr Vincent Brown, 65, of north London faces seven charges tied to the 1994 Rwanda genocide - the first such UK prosecution, the CPS says.

A Rwandan man who has made his home in north London is set to become the first person prosecuted in Britain over the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has announced. Dr Vincent Brown, who previously went by the name Dr Vincent Bajinya, faces seven separate counts and is due before Westminster Magistrates' Court on Tuesday.

Brown, 65, has been charged with a single count of conduct ancillary to genocide, alongside six counts of conduct ancillary to murder as a crime against humanity. Frank Ferguson, who leads the CPS Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division, said the accused "is alleged to have directed and incited acts of murder and genocide carried out by others."

Ferguson said prosecutors moved to bring charges after examining evidence compiled by the War Crimes Team within the Metropolitan Police. "We concluded that our legal test for bringing criminal charges had been met," he said.

A seven-year inquiry

The police investigation opened in September 2019, prompted by a formal appeal from the Rwandan government. Kigali had asked British authorities to look into individuals it accused of taking part in killings in the Rugenge district of the capital in April 1994. The Metropolitan Police described the resulting case as the product of "a complex and extensive seven-year investigation."

Commander Helen Flanagan, who heads Counter Terrorism Policing London, said the prosecution carried a wider message. "This case demonstrates the UK is not a safe haven for individuals suspected of committing international crimes," she said. Flanagan added that officers remained determined to see suspects in genocide and other atrocity cases "held accountable through due legal process."

She also confirmed that Brown's case is not an isolated one. "A number of other investigations remain ongoing into other individuals in the UK for similar offences related to the genocide in Rwanda," she said.

100 days of killing

The charges relate to one of the deadliest episodes of mass violence of the late 20th century. Across roughly 100 days in 1994, about 800,000 people were killed in Rwanda. The victims were predominantly ethnic Tutsis, along with moderate Hutus, and the killings were carried out by Hutu extremists.

Those responsible set out to destroy the minority Tutsi population and also turned on political rivals, regardless of the ethnic background of the people they targeted. After the slaughter ended, the mostly Tutsi forces that seized control of the country were themselves accused of killing thousands of Hutus in acts of reprisal.

Brown's appearance at Westminster Magistrates' Court will mark the opening stage of the first British criminal proceedings tied to those events.

Rwanda genocide, Vincent Brown, Vincent Bajinya, UK war crimes, Crown Prosecution Service, Westminster Magistrates Court, Metropolitan Police War Crimes Team, crimes against humanity

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