First British prosecution for the 1994 killings
A 65-year-old doctor from Rwanda has become the first person charged in Britain with taking part in the 1994 genocide, in which an estimated 800,000 people were killed. Dr Vincent Brown, formerly known as Vincent Bajinya, was arrested at his home in north London and charged on Monday, British authorities said.
He faces one count of conduct ancillary to genocide and six counts of conduct ancillary to murder as a crime against humanity. Prosecutors accuse him of overseeing six killings. He entered no plea, and none of the allegations has been proved.
Bail, then the Old Bailey
Brown appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court on 22 September. Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring, the senior district judge for England and Wales, sent the case to the Central Criminal Court, known as the Old Bailey, where Brown is due to appear on 9 October. He was released on bail backed by a 25,000 pound security, about $33,400, paid by his family. Prosecutors said they want to appeal against that decision.
Commander Helen Flanagan, who heads counterterrorism policing, said the case shows Britain will not shelter people suspected of international crimes. "This case demonstrates the U.K. is not a safe haven for individuals suspected of committing international crimes," she said.
Why the case can be heard in London
UK law lets British prosecutors bring charges for certain international offences, including genocide and crimes against humanity, no matter where they happened. That principle, known as universal jurisdiction, has been used in Britain for war crimes cases before, but this is the first time it has produced genocide charges linked to Rwanda.
The 1994 killings followed the assassination of Rwanda's president and ran for about 100 days, targeting Tutsi communities and moderate Hutus. Rwanda's own courts and the UN-backed International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda convicted dozens of organisers and participants. Suspects who settled abroad have been pursued more slowly, and several European countries have opened cases in recent years. Investigators said the London case took years to build because evidence had to be gathered from witnesses and records held outside Britain.