A British court has imposed a £100,000 bail guarantee, approximately Rwf195 million, on Dr. Vincent Brown, a Rwandan-born doctor accused of involvement in mass killings during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. Dr. Brown, formerly known as Vincent Bajinya, 65, will remain in custody unless the guarantee is paid. He is the first person in the United Kingdom to be charged over alleged crimes linked to the Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda.
At the Old Bailey court in London, Judge Mark Lucraft KC granted Bajinya conditional bail but imposed stricter conditions than those set during an earlier hearing. The £100,000 guarantee is four times the £25,000 security previously imposed by magistrates. Bajinya must surrender his passport and any national identity cards, and is prohibited from applying for international travel documents.
Bajinya must live and sleep at his London address under a court-imposed curfew and will be electronically monitored. He is also required to report to police every day. The judge stated that Bajinya would remain in custody until the £100,000 condition is met. Bajinya is accused of killing, directing, or encouraging the killing of members of the Tutsi ethnic group during the Genocide against the Tutsi.
British prosecutors allege that three members of one household were killed between April 6 and 13, 1994, along with a taxi driver, a mother, and her young son. The alleged victims are Dominique Mukurarinda, Immaculee Mukankusi, Gerasi Rurangirwa, Leandre Mbogoye, Charlotte Kamaguja, and Olivier Tuyishime. Bajinya denies the allegations.
The current prosecution follows a seven-year British investigation into the killings. Bajinya was a medical doctor who worked in Kigali and later headed the National Population Office, known by its French acronym ONAPO. According to allegations presented in earlier British court proceedings, Bajinya became involved with Interahamwe militia activities in Kigali in the period leading up to and during the genocide.
Prosecutors previously alleged that he attended meetings in Kigali where plans for violence against Tutsi were discussed and that he became a leader or coordinator of militia activities in the capital. Court papers cited in earlier proceedings alleged that he was involved at roadblocks in the Rugenge area of Kigali, where people suspected of being Tutsi were stopped.
Bajinya is due to appear again at the Old Bailey on October 9. British authorities are continuing investigations into other alleged genocide offences connected to Rwanda. Bajinya’s case in Britain dates back to the mid-2000s, and he was first arrested in 2006 following Rwanda’s request for his extradition.
Key points
- The UK court has set a £100,000 bail guarantee for Dr. Vincent Brown.
- Dr. Brown is accused of involvement in mass killings during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
- The case follows a seven-year British investigation into the killings.
