Key facts
- Vincent Brown, formerly Vincent Bajinya, is the first person charged in the UK with genocide-related offences from the 1994 Rwandan genocide.
- Brown faces charges of conduct ancillary to genocide and six counts of conduct ancillary to murder as a crime against humanity.
- Prosecutors allege Brown directed or encouraged the deaths of Tutsis and intended to destroy the group in part.
- The alleged killings occurred in the Rugenge district of Kigali between April 6 and April 13, 1994.
A 65-year-old doctor, Vincent Brown, formerly known as Vincent Bajinya, has appeared in a London court charged with genocide-related offences stemming from the 1994 Rwandan genocide. This marks the first time such charges have been brought in Britain.
Brown, who is in custody, confirmed his name and address at Westminster Magistrates' Court. He faces a charge of conduct ancillary to genocide and six offences of conduct ancillary to murder as a crime against humanity. Prosecutors stated that Brown, who qualified in Rwanda in the 1980s and later headed the country's Department of Family Health, is accused of "killing, directing or encouraging" the deaths of members of the Tutsi ethnic group between April 6 and April 13, 1994, in Kigali. The charges are brought under the 2001 International Criminal Court Act, with prosecutors describing the alleged killings as "part of a widespread or systematic attack, directed against a civilian population, with knowledge of the attack."
His barrister, Sam Blom-Cooper, told the court that Brown denies the allegations and is eager to clear his name. The case was passed to the Old Bailey for a hearing on October 9, with a bail application to be considered.