First person charged in UK for 1994 Rwanda genocide
Vincent Brown, a 65-year-old Rwandan national living in the UK, has been charged with genocide and crimes against humanity related to the 1994 Rwandan genocide. This marks the first time such charges have been brought within the United Kingdom.
Why it matters
The case sets a legal precedent for the UK's ability to prosecute international war crimes committed on foreign soil decades prior.
A man looks at images of victims on display at the Kigali Genocide Memorial, in Kigali on May 26, 2021. LUDOVIC MARIN / AFP Prosecutors said on Monday, September 21, they had brought the first-ever charges in the UK against a man for his alleged role in the 1994 Rwanda genocide, after a complex seven-year investigation.
Vincent Brown, 65, was arrested and charged on Monday with one count of being an ancillary to genocide and six offences of aiding crimes against humanity in Rwanda, prosecutors and the London police said. "He is alleged to have directed and incited acts of murder and genocide carried out by others" against the Tutsi, said Frank Ferguson, head of the Crown Prosecution Service's special crime and counter terrorism division, in the first ever such charges in the UK.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in