Key facts
- Dr Vincent Brown, accused of offences related to the 1994 Rwanda genocide, will face trial in the UK starting October 2027.
Dr Vincent Brown, accused of offences related to the 1994 Rwanda genocide, will face an eight to 12-week trial in the UK starting October 2027. He is the first person in the UK to be charged over the genocide, denying all wrongdoing.
The trial marks a significant legal precedent in the UK for prosecuting individuals accused of genocide-related crimes committed abroad, highlighting the jurisdiction's reach in pursuing international justice.
Dr Vincent Brown, formerly known as Dr Vincent Bajinya, 65, is accused of multiple offences related to the 1994 Rwanda genocide and is set to face trial in the UK in autumn next year. He is the first person in the UK to be charged over the genocide.
Brown, who resides in Islington, north London, faces one count of conduct ancillary to genocide and six offences of conduct ancillary to murder as a crime against humanity. He denies all wrongdoing and has indicated he will plead not guilty.
A judge has set a provisional trial date for October 4, 2027, estimated to last between eight and 12 weeks. A plea and case management hearing is scheduled for January 15.
During a pre-trial hearing on Friday, Brown appeared via video link from Belmarsh prison. Prosecutor Bill Emlyn Jones KC described the events of 1994 as "the most devastating wave of mass killing in modern history," noting that an estimated 800,000 Tutsis and politically moderate Hutus were killed over 100 days.
Brown qualified as a medical doctor in Rwanda in the 1980s and previously served as head of the country's Department of Family Health in Kigali. He is alleged to have been involved in six murders between April 6 and 13, 1994, following a seven-year British investigation.
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