Rwandan Vincent Bajinya, now known as Dr Vincent Brown, 65, is set to appear before a British court over alleged crimes committed during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, becoming the first person in the United Kingdom to face charges linked to the Genocide.
British prosecutors said Brown faces charges related to the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda.
Brown, formerly known as Vincent Bajinya, has been charged with one count of conduct ancillary to genocide and six counts of conduct ancillary to murder as a crime against humanity.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said Brown is accused of directing and inciting others to commit acts of murder and genocide.
“He is alleged to have directed and incited acts of murder and genocide carried out by others,” the CPS said.
The CPS said these are the first charges to be brought in the United Kingdom in connection with the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda.
Brown has been remanded in custody and is scheduled to appear before Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London on Tuesday.
British police said investigations into six other people are continuing. They include two men arrested in 2024 and 2026 on suspicion of genocide and crimes against humanity, who remain on bail while investigations continue.
Witnesses Accuse Him of Atrocities During the Genocide
Bajinya is alleged to have been among influential figures linked to the government of former President Juvénal Habyarimana, which planned and carried out the Genocide against the Tutsi.
He is also reported to have attended a major meeting in 1993 at which the extremist Hutu Power movement was established and where he was given responsibilities.
During the Genocide against the Tutsi, Bajinya is accused of coordinating Interahamwe militia members and instructing them to kill Tutsis in the then-Rugenge Commune in Kigali, where he is also alleged to have directed killing operations.
Witnesses who spoke to the BBC in 2006 accused Bajinya of involvement in the killings of Tutsis, including Dominique, Leandre, Charlotte Kamugaja and her child in Rugenge.
One witness said he heard Bajinya urging killers to finish off a taxi driver who had already been attacked with machetes but was still alive.
According to the witness, Bajinya told the killers, “Look, that is not how you kill a person. You are just playing with him. He could survive if you leave him like that.”
The witness added, “He then called a young man and another neighbour, who came and killed him. That is one of the images that always comes back to me whenever I remember the Genocide. It is one of the images of Bajinya that remains in my mind.”
IBUKA Says His Anti-Tutsi Ideology Dates Back Years
Dr Philbert Gakwenzire, President of IBUKA, said Bajinya had displayed anti-Tutsi ideology for many years, dating back to his time as a medical student at the National University of Rwanda.
“Whenever there were ordinary disagreements at the university, you would see him taking advantage of them to find ways of hurting Tutsis,” Gakwenzire said.
The IBUKA president said Bajinya was known for openly displaying hostility towards Tutsis wherever he worked, from his university years through the beginning of his professional career.
“This continued up to 1990 and remained the same when the Genocide took place. He worked at ONAPO, in the building where the post office is now located. He also lived in Kiyovu, in Rugenge, and that is where he was seen taking part in activities during the Genocide against the Tutsi,” Gakwenzire said.
Gakwenzire said the decision to prosecute Bajinya was a welcome step by the British justice system, adding that survivors of the Genocide against the Tutsi hope the judicial process will result in punishment proportionate to the gravity of the crimes alleged against him if he is convicted.
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