Doctor appears in UK court on Rwanda genocide charges

A 65-year-old doctor, Vincent Brown, formerly known as Vincent Bajinya, appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Monday, becoming the first person in the UK to be charged over the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. Held in custody, he confirmed his name and address from the dock.

The charges follow a seven-year British investigation into the killings. Brown was told he faces one charge of conduct ancillary to genocide and six charges of conduct ancillary to murder as a crime against humanity. The case has been sent to the Old Bailey, with a hearing set for 9 October. A bail application was to be considered later the same day.

Details of the allegations

The 1994 killings in Rwanda lasted 100 days, during which Hutu extremists carried out mass slaughter against Tutsis and moderate Hutus. The charges against Brown relate to an alleged massacre in the Rugenge district of Kigali between 6 and 13 April 1994. He is accused of killing, directing or encouraging the deaths of members of the Tutsi ethnic group, with intent to destroy the group in whole or in part. The charges were brought under the 2001 International Criminal Court Act.

Prosecutors said the alleged killings formed part of a widespread or systematic attack directed against a civilian population. The alleged victims include three members of one household, a taxi driver, and a mother with her young son.

Background

Brown qualified as a doctor in Rwanda in the 1980s and later headed the country's Department of Family Health in Kigali. In 2006 he worked at Praxis, a London charity supporting refugees, including those from Rwanda, and also served on a Refugee Nurses Task Force advising the UK government.

Brown's lawyer told the court his client denies the allegations and intends to go before a jury to clear his name. Investigations into other alleged genocide offences in Rwanda are continuing.