A 65-year-old man has become the first person in the UK to face criminal charges over alleged offences connected to the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda.
Dr Vincent Brown, also known as Bajinya, of Islington, London, was arrested and charged this afternoon following a seven-year investigation by the Counter Terrorism Policing War Crimes Team.
The charges concern alleged conduct in Kigali during April 1994, when hundreds of thousands of people were killed during the genocide against the Tutsi.
The investigation began in September 2019, after the Rwandan government formally asked UK authorities to investigate individuals suspected of participating in killings in the Rugenge district of Kigali.
According to Counter Terrorism Policing, the investigation involved extensive international cooperation and multiple deployments over several years.
Evidence gathered by investigators was subsequently reviewed by the Crown Prosecution Service, which authorised six charges under Section 52 of the International Criminal Court Act 2001.
Brown faces one count alleging conduct ancillary to genocide.
Prosecutors allege that he encouraged others to kill members of the Tutsi ethnic group, with the intention of contributing to the destruction, in whole or in part, of that group, in the context of a wider pattern of similar conduct.
He also faces six counts relating to alleged conduct ancillary to murder as a crime against humanity.
Brown has been remanded in custody and is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court tomorrow, Tuesday September 22.
Commander Helen Flanagan, head of Counter Terrorism Policing London, said: “To secure the first-ever UK charges related to a genocide has involved a huge amount of work and determination from officers in the War Crimes Team.
“This case demonstrates the UK is not a safe haven for individuals suspected of committing international crimes.
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“The War Crimes Teams remains committed to ensuring those suspected of involvement in genocide and other atrocity crimes are held accountable through due legal process.
“A number of other investigations remain ongoing into other individuals in the UK for similar offences related to the genocide in Rwanda.
“Our thoughts remain with the people of Rwanda, particularly those who lost family members and loved ones during the genocide against the Tutsi.”
Meanwhile, the Crown Prosecution Service said its decision to charge Brown followed an independent assessment of evidence submitted by the Metropolitan Police's War Crimes Team.
Frank Ferguson, Head of the Crown Prosecution Service’s Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division, said prosecutors had concluded that the legal test for bringing charges had been met.
He said the allegations against Brown included claims that he directed and incited acts of murder and genocide carried out by others.
Mr Ferguson stressed that the prosecution service had acted independently of both police and government and had made its decision on the evidence available and in accordance with the law.
He also warned against public commentary or the sharing of material online that could prejudice the criminal proceedings.
Brown has not been convicted of any offence. He is entitled to a fair trial, and the allegations against him will have to be tested through the judicial process.
The charges mark the first prosecution in the UK specifically connected to alleged participation in the Rwandan genocide.
The 1994 genocide against the Tutsi lasted approximately 100 days, and resulted in the deaths of an estimated 800,000 people, according to widely cited historical estimates.
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