UK charges first person over 1994 Rwanda genocide

Dr Vincent Brown, 65, formerly Vincent Bajinya, of Islington, north London, was arrested and charged on 21 September 2026 with one offence of conduct ancillary to genocide and six of conduct ancillary to murder as a crime against humanity under section 52 of the International Criminal Court Act 2001. Frank Ferguson of the CPS said the charges relate to allegations Brown took part in the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, that he directed and incited acts of murder and genocide by others, and that this is the first time such charges have been brought in the United Kingdom. The alleged offences were in Kigali in April 1994. A seven-year Counter Terrorism Policing War Crimes Team investigation began in September 2019 after a Rwandan government request. Commander Helen Flanagan said the case took a huge amount of work and determination, demonstrates the UK is not a safe haven for individuals suspected of committing international crimes, and that other investigations remain ongoing. Brown, first arrested in 2006 with extradition refused in 2017, is remanded in custody for Westminster Magistrates' Court on 22 September 2026. The genocide lasted about 100 days and killed an estimated 800,000 people, mostly Tutsis.