# UK prosecutes first person for Rwanda genocide

> A 65-year-old doctor has become the first person charged in Britain over the 1994 killings that left 800,000 dead.
- Title: UK prosecutes first person for Rwanda genocide · BBC News
- Summary: A 65-year-old doctor has become the first person charged in Britain over the 1994 killings that left 800,000 dead. The UK is using its courts to pursue…
- Keywords: rwanda genocide, vincent brown, vincent bajinya, uk prosecution, war crimes, 1994 killings, westminster magistrates court, old bailey, international criminal court act, tutsi, kigali, rugenge district
- Source: BBC News — https://bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c6790y1gj247o
- Published: 2026-09-22T11:25:19.507+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: rwanda genocide, vincent brown, vincent bajinya, uk prosecution, war crimes, 1994 killings, westminster magistrates court, old bailey, international criminal court act, tutsi, kigali, rugenge district
## First UK genocide prosecution
Dr Vincent Brown, 65, appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court as the first person charged in Britain over the 1994 Rwanda genocide that killed an estimated 800,000 people.
## Seven year investigation concludes
Brown was charged following a seven year British investigation into the killings. He faces one charge of conduct ancillary to genocide and six offences of conduct ancillary to murder as a crime against humanity.
## Alleged killings in Kigali
Brown is accused of killing, directing or encouraging deaths in the Rugenge district of Kigali between April 6 and 13, 1994. Six alleged victims include members of a household, a taxi driver, and a mother and son.
## From Rwanda to London
Brown qualified as a medical doctor in Rwanda in the 1980s and later headed the country's Department of Family Health. He moved to London and worked at Praxis, a charity helping refugees, and served on the Refugee Nurses Task Force.
## Defendant denies all charges
Brown's barrister said his client denied the allegations and intended to go before a jury to clear himself. He said Brown had waited nearly 20 years for this day in court.

> These are appalling crimes, terrible murders committed in 1994 but this is the beginning of the end for Dr Brown.
## UK won't shelter war criminals
Senior police officers have stressed the UK should not be a safe haven for alleged war criminals. Investigators have been trained in international war crimes legislation to pursue perpetrators of genocide.
## Key takeaway

The UK is using its courts to pursue alleged perpetrators of the Rwanda genocide decades later, signaling it will not be a safe haven for war criminals.