UK Charges First Individual Over 1994 Rwanda Genocide

The Metropolitan Police announced that a Rwandan man living in north London has been charged with offenses related to the 1994 Rwanda genocide. Dr. Vincent Brown, formerly known as Dr. Vincent Bajinya, 65, faces one charge of conduct ancillary to genocide and six charges of conduct ancillary to murder as a crime against humanity. Frank Ferguson, head of the Crown Prosecution Service's (CPS) Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division, stated that Brown is alleged to have directed and incited acts of murder and genocide carried out by others. Brown is scheduled to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Tuesday. Ferguson noted that the decision to charge Brown followed a review of evidence submitted by the War Crimes Team at the Metropolitan Police. The investigation began in September 2019 after a formal request from the Rwandan government to investigate individuals allegedly involved in genocide in the Rugenge district of Kigali in April 1994. During the genocide, an estimated 800,000 ethnic Tutsis and politically moderate Hutus were killed by Hutu extremists over the course of 100 days. The mainly Tutsi forces that took power after the genocide were also alleged to have killed thousands of Hutu individuals in retaliation. The Metropolitan Police stated that the charges against Brown follow a complex and extensive seven-year investigation. Commander Helen Flanagan, head of Counter Terrorism Policing London, emphasized that the case illustrates that the UK is not a safe haven for individuals suspected of committing international crimes. The War Crimes Team remains committed to holding those suspected of involvement in genocide and other atrocity crimes accountable through legal processes, with several other investigations ongoing into similar offenses related to the Rwandan genocide.