A Rwandan man living in north London has become the first person to be charged in the UK over the 1994 Rwanda genocide.
Dr Vincent Brown, formerly Dr Vincent Bajinya, 65, was charged with one count of conduct ancillary to genocide and six counts of conduct ancillary to murder as a crime against humanity, the Crown Prosecution Service, CPS, said.
Head of the CPS Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division, Frank Ferguson, said Brown “is alleged to have directed and incited acts of murder and genocide carried out by others.”
He will appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday.
Ferguson said the decision was taken after reviewing evidence from the Metropolitan Police War Crimes Team.
“We concluded that our legal test for bringing criminal charges had been met,” he said.
The War Crimes Team began investigation in September 2019 following a formal request from the Rwandan government to probe alleged roles in killings in the Rugenge district of Kigali in April 1994.
About 800,000 ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed within 100 days in 1994 by Hutu extremists targeting Tutsis and political opponents. Tutsi-led forces who later took power were also accused of reprisal killings of thousands of Hutus.
The Metropolitan Police said the charges followed “a complex and extensive seven year investigation.”
Commander Helen Flanagan, head of Counter Terrorism Policing London, said the case shows the UK is not a safe haven for suspects of international crimes.
“This case demonstrates the UK is not a safe haven for individuals suspected of committing international crimes.
“The War Crimes Team 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,” she said.
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