UK Charges Doctor Over Alleged Role in 1994 Rwanda Genocide

UK prosecutors have charged Vincent Brown over his alleged involvement in the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, following a seven-year investigation.

Brown, a 65-year-old doctor formerly known as Vincent Bajinya, was arrested on Monday and charged with one count of conduct ancillary to genocide and six offences of aiding crimes against humanity in Rwanda.

The Crown Prosecution Service said the case was the first time charges connected to the genocide against the Tutsi had been brought in the United Kingdom.

Allegations and investigation

Frank Ferguson, head of the Crown Prosecution Service’s counterterror division, said the charges concerned allegations that Brown took part in the genocide in 1994. Ferguson added that Brown was alleged to have directed and incited acts of murder and genocide carried out by others.

The allegations have not been proven in court. The specific acts said to underpin each charge were not provided.

Metropolitan police war crimes investigators began examining the case in 2019 at the request of the Rwandan government. Police said they were continuing to investigate several other suspects linked to the Rwandan genocide who are living in Britain.

Commander Helen Flanagan, head of counterterror policing, said: “This case demonstrates the UK is not a safe haven for individuals suspected of committing international crimes.”

Earlier extradition proceedings

Brown was first arrested in 2006. In 2017, a UK court refused Rwanda’s request to extradite him, along with four other men.

Brown is originally from Kigali and lives in London. He was believed to have entered the UK as an asylum seeker in 1998, according to former Rwandan Justice Minister Tharcisse Karugarama, as reported by the Associated Press.

Attorney Philip Eldin-Taylor said Brown changed his name when he was granted UK citizenship in 2004. Brown previously worked for a charity that assisted refugee nurses and midwives seeking employment in Britain.

Brown was due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday. The available information does not state his plea, whether he was granted bail or remanded in custody, or the date of any trial.

Rwanda genocide background

The genocide in Rwanda lasted 100 days and resulted in the deaths of an estimated 800,000 people, most of them Tutsis. Several other countries have prosecuted suspects in connection with the killings.