UK Brings First Rwanda Genocide Prosecution

UK prosecutors have brought the country’s first-ever charges connected to the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda. Vincent Brown, 65, also known as Vincent Bajinya, was arrested and charged with one count of being an accessory to genocide and six counts of aiding crimes against humanity. Prosecutors allege that Brown directed and incited murders and genocidal acts committed by others in Rwanda. The genocide lasted approximately 100 days and resulted in the deaths of around 800,000 people, mostly Tutsis and moderate Hutus. The violence included killings by shooting, beating, and machete attacks. Brown is alleged to have been involved in crimes committed in Kigali’s Rugenge district in April 1994. Brown, who was formerly from Kigali, has lived in London’s Islington area and is currently in custody. He is scheduled to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court. Although UK media identified him as a Rwandan national, AFP previously reported that he had become a British citizen. The case followed a seven-year investigation by the UK’s War Crimes Team, launched in September 2019. Brown was first arrested in 2006, but a British court refused his extradition to Rwanda in 2017, along with that of four other men. The Rwandan government subsequently asked the UK to investigate the alleged crimes directly. The Crown Prosecution Service and Counter Terrorism Policing London said the investigation required extensive effort and demonstrated that the UK would not serve as a safe haven for people suspected of international crimes. Authorities said other investigations related to the Rwandan genocide remain ongoing. The genocide was preceded by years of tension between Hutu and Tutsi communities and was triggered by the death of President Juvenal Habyarimana, whose plane was shot down by two missiles.

Dr Vincent Brown, formerly known as Dr Vincent Bajinya, has appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court and become the first person to face prosecution in the UK over alleged involvement in the 1994 Rwandan genocide. The 65-year-old doctor, who is in custody, confirmed his identity and address from the dock. Brown faces one charge of conduct ancillary to genocide and six charges of conduct ancillary to murder as a crime against humanity. Prosecutors allege that he killed, directed or encouraged the deaths of members of Rwanda’s Tutsi ethnic group in Kigali’s Rugenge district between 6 and 13 April 1994. They say the alleged acts were intended to destroy the group, in whole or in part, and formed part of a widespread or systematic attack against civilians. The alleged victims were three members of one household—Dominique Mukurarinda, Immaculee Mukankusi and Gerasi Rurangirwa—as well as taxi driver Leandre Mbogoye, mother Charlotte Kamaguja and her young son, Olivier Tuyishime. The charges follow a seven-year British investigation and were brought under the 2001 International Criminal Court Act. The case has been sent to the Old Bailey for a hearing on 9 October, while a bail application is due to be considered. Brown denies the allegations. His barrister, Sam Blom-Cooper, said his client wanted to appear before a jury to clear what he called the “stains” of the accusations. Brown qualified as a doctor in Rwanda in the 1980s, later becoming head of the country’s Department of Family Health in Kigali. He moved to the UK and worked for Praxis, a London charity supporting refugees, and served on a government advisory group for refugee nurses. The case forms part of wider efforts by UK authorities to ensure the country is not a safe haven for alleged war criminals. Investigations into other alleged genocide offences in Rwanda are continuing.

Vincent Brown, a former Rwandan official also known as Vincent Bajinya, appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London on charges linked to the 1994 Rwandan genocide. British prosecutors allege that Brown encouraged the massacre of Tutsis in Kigali during the first week of the genocide, between April 6 and 13, and ordered six killings over a four-day period. The alleged victims included a young mother and her baby son. Brown, 65, is the first person to be charged in Britain over the genocide, during which more than 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed in approximately 100 days. The massacres were carried out after the assassination of Rwandan President Juvenal Habyarimana and Burundi’s President Cyprien Ntaryamira in a missile attack on their plane, an event that helped trigger the genocide. Prosecutor Jane Stansfield told the court that Brown was head of the Department of Family Health within Rwanda’s National Office of Population when the violence began. Witnesses, including neighbours, allegedly identified him as “the leader and supervisor of physical acts of violence which were carried out by others.” Brown denies involvement and says he left Kigali in mid-April 1994, while his family left Rwanda in July. His lawyer, Sam Blom-Cooper, said Brown welcomed the charges as an opportunity to clear his name. Judge Paul Goldspring granted Brown bail pending his next hearing at the Old Bailey on October 9, subject to a financial security requirement. Prosecutors said they would appeal the bail decision, so Brown remained in custody until a later hearing. Britain’s War Crimes Team said six other people remain under investigation, including two men arrested on suspicion of genocide and crimes against humanity.