Key facts
- Dr Vincent Brown, 65, has been charged in the UK with genocide and murder offenses related to the 1994 Rwandan genocide.
- Prosecutors allege Brown was a leader or supervisor of violence carried out by others.
- He is accused of being a party to six murders between April 6 and April 13, 1994.
- The charges include one count of conduct ancillary to genocide and six counts of conduct ancillary to murder as a crime against humanity.
- Brown previously lived in Kigali and now resides in Islington, north London.
- The Metropolitan Police War Crimes Team began its investigation in September 2019.
A doctor has been charged in the UK with offenses related to the 1994 Rwandan genocide, marking the first time such charges have been brought in the UK for events during the genocide. Dr. Vincent Brown, 65, formerly known as Vincent Bajinya, appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Tuesday facing one count of conduct ancillary to genocide and six counts of conduct ancillary to murder as a crime against humanity.
Prosecutors allege that Brown, who was employed by the Rwandan government at the National Office of Population as head of the department of family health in Kigali in April 1994, acted as a "leader or supervisor of physical acts of violence which were carried out by others." Specifically, he is accused of being a party to six murders between April 6 and April 13, 1994. These alleged victims include three members of the same household, a local taxi driver, and a young woman and her infant son.
During a police interview in the UK in September 2020, Brown reportedly stated he played no part in the murders. His lawyer indicated that the defendant wishes to clear his name. The charges arose from an investigation by the Metropolitan Police War Crimes Team, which began in September 2019 after a request from the Rwandan government to investigate alleged involvement in the genocide in the Rugenge district of Kigali.
Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring granted Brown conditional bail, requiring him to appear next at the Old Bailey on October 9. His bail conditions include a £25,000 security and residing at his home address.