Dr Vincent Brown faces seven charges over alleged conduct linked to the 1994 genocide after a seven year Metropolitan Police investigation….reports Africa Daily News Desk
A 65 year old Rwandan man living in north London has become the first person to be charged in the UK with offences linked to the 1994 Rwanda genocide, according to the Crown Prosecution Service.
Dr Vincent Brown, formerly known as Dr Vincent Bajinya, faces one charge of conduct ancillary to genocide and six charges of conduct ancillary to murder as a crime against humanity.
Brown is accused of directing and inciting acts of murder and genocide carried out by others, the CPS said. He is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday.
Frank Ferguson, head of the CPS’s Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division, said the decision to charge Brown was made after prosecutors reviewed evidence submitted by the Metropolitan Police’s War Crimes Team.
“We concluded that our legal test for bringing criminal charges had been met,” Ferguson said.
The case follows a seven year investigation by the Metropolitan Police, which began in September 2019 after a formal request from the Rwandan government to investigate people allegedly involved in killings in the Rugenge district of Kigali in April 1994.
The BBC reported that the investigation focused on alleged crimes committed during the genocide, which lasted around 100 days and resulted in the deaths of an estimated 800,000 people.
The victims were predominantly members of Rwanda’s minority Tutsi community, along with politically moderate Hutus. Hutu extremists carried out widespread killings targeting Tutsis and political opponents, regardless of ethnic background.
The genocide ended when mainly Tutsi forces of the Rwandan Patriotic Front took control of the country. The BBC noted that thousands of Hutu people were subsequently alleged to have been killed in retaliatory violence.
The Metropolitan Police said the charges against Brown followed a “complex and extensive seven year investigation”.
Commander Helen Flanagan, head of Counter Terrorism Policing London, said the case demonstrated that the UK would not be a safe haven for people suspected of international crimes.
“This case demonstrates the UK is not a safe haven for individuals suspected of committing international crimes,” Flanagan said.
“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.”
She added that a number of other investigations into people in the UK suspected of similar offences linked to the Rwanda genocide remained ongoing.
The BBC reported that Brown denies wrongdoing. The charges relate to alleged conduct during the 1994 genocide and will now be considered through the UK criminal justice process.
The CPS said its decision to bring charges followed its assessment of the evidence gathered by the Metropolitan Police. Brown’s appearance at Westminster Magistrates’ Court will mark the next stage of the proceedings.
The Rwanda genocide remains one of the most devastating episodes of mass violence of the 20th century, with the killings taking place over approximately 100 days in 1994.
The UK has previously investigated and prosecuted individuals suspected of involvement in international crimes committed overseas, with specialist police and prosecutorial teams working on cases involving genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.
