Photo credit: BBC
A man has been charged with crimes linked to the 1994 Rwandan genocide in the first case of its kind to be brought in the UK.
ITV News reports that Dr Vincent Brown, formerly Dr Vincent Bajinya, who used to live in Kigali but now lives in Islington, London, will appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday charged with seven offences.
One charge is for conduct ancillary to genocide and six are for ancillary to murder as a crime against humanity, the Crown Prosecution Service said.
Frank Ferguson, head of the CPS Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division, said the charges relate to allegattions that Dr Brown took part in the genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda.
An estimated 500,000 to 1 million people were killed in the Rwanda genocide, which took place over just 100 days in 1994.
“He i alleged to have directed and incited acts of murder and genocide carried out by others,” Ferguson said.
“The Crown Prosecution Service made its decision after reviewing a file of evidence submitted by the War Crimes Team at the Metropolitan Police. We concluded that our legal test for bringing criminal charges had been met.
“The Crown Prosecution Service makes prosecution decisions independently of police and government, on the evidence available and in accordance with the law. Criminal proceedings against D r Brown are now active.
“The defendant has the right to a fair trial, and it is extremely important that there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online that could prejudice those proceedings.”
More than 120,000 people in Rwanda were arrested and accused of crimes committed during the genocide in the years that followed, according to the Holocausr Memorial Day Trust.
The charges against Brown arose following an investigation by the Metropolitan Police War Crimes Team, which began in September 2019 after a request from the Rwandan government.
This was to investigate those allegedly involved in a genocide in the Rugenge district of Kigali in April 1994.
“To secure the first-ever UK charges related to a genocide has involved a huge amount of work and determination from offi,cers in the War Crimes Team,” said Commander Heleen Flanagan, head of Counter Terrorism Policing London.
“This case demonstrates the UK is not a safe haven for individuals suspected of committing international crimes.
“The War Crimes Teams remains committed to ensuring those suspected of involvement in genocide and other atrocity 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.”
