First-ever UK genocide charges as Dr Vincent Brown faces Westminster court over 1994 Rwanda killings

Published at 5:53pm

A 65-year-old man from Islington has become the first person in the United Kingdom to face criminal charges linked to the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, following a seven-year investigation by the Metropolitan Police’s Counter Terrorism Policing War Crimes Team.

Dr Vincent Brown, also known as Bajinya, was arrested and charged on Monday 21 September with offences under section 52 of the International Criminal Court Act 2001, relating to alleged crimes in the Rugenge district of Kigali in April 1994.

The charges, authorised by the Crown Prosecution Service, comprise one count of conduct ancillary to genocide and six counts of conduct ancillary to murder as a crime against humanity. Prosecutors allege Brown encouraged others to kill members of the Tutsi ethnic or racial group, as part of what they describe as a manifest pattern of similar conduct directed against that group.

The War Crimes Team began its investigation in September 2019 after a formal request from the Government of Rwanda. Officers say the complex inquiry involved numerous overseas deployments and significant international cooperation — the kind of cross-border work seen in other recent international investigations.

Brown has been remanded in custody and is due to appear in court at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday 22 September.

Commander Helen Flanagan, head of Counter Terrorism Policing London, said: “To secure the first-ever UK charges related to a genocide has involved a huge amount of work and determination from officers in the War Crimes Team.”

“This case demonstrates the UK is not a safe haven for individuals suspected of committing international crimes,” she added. “The War Crimes Team remains committed to ensuring those suspected of involvement in genocide and other atrocity crimes are held accountable through due legal process.”

Commander Flanagan also confirmed that a number of other investigations remain ongoing into other individuals in the UK for similar offences related to the genocide in Rwanda.

Reuters reported that police said inquiries into six other individuals remain ongoing, including two men arrested in 2024 and 2026 on suspicion of genocide and crimes against humanity who remain on bail.

More than 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed over 100 days in the 1994 genocide, which was orchestrated by the Hutu ruling majority and carried out by local officials and ordinary citizens.

The case is expected to draw significant attention when it reaches Westminster on Tuesday. Brown has been charged — not convicted — and the allegations against him will now be tested through the courts. As proceedings are active, nothing should be published that could create a substantial risk of seriously prejudicing them.

Source: Metropolitan Police newsroom release, “Counter Terrorism Policing Investigation leads to first UK charges linked to 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda”, 21 September 2026, 17:00.