More than three decades after the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, the United Kingdom has, for the first time, charged a Rwandan national over alleged involvement in the 1994 Genocide Against the Tutsi. Dr Vincent Bajinya, also known as Vincent Brown, was charged on September 21 with one offence of conduct ancillary to genocide and six offences of conduct ancillary to murder as a crime against humanity. The development has renewed attention on four other Rwandan genocide suspects who have lived in the UK for years and whose cases have been the subject of lengthy investigations and extradition proceedings. Andrew Wallis, a UK-based journalist and author who has extensively researched the Genocide against the Tutsi, said the four suspects were investigated alongside Bajinya. According to Wallis, the case file of one of the four has been submitted to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) for a decision on whether the evidence supports prosecution, while investigations into the other three are ongoing. The four are Charles Munyaneza, Emmanuel Nteziryayo, Célestin Ugirashebuja and Célestin Mutabaruka. Rwanda has previously sought their extradition and submitted indictments to UK authorities. However, UK courts rejected their extradition following lengthy legal proceedings, citing concerns over whether the suspects would receive fair trials in Rwanda. The UK subsequently launched its own investigations into the allegations against the men. Here is what is known about the four suspects. Charles Munyaneza Munyaneza was the bourgmestre (mayor) of Kinyamakara commune in the former Gikongoro Prefecture during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. He is accused of playing a role in organising the killing of Tutsi in the area, including those who had sought refuge at Murambi Technical School, one of the major massacre sites in southern Rwanda. According to information presented during earlier legal proceedings, Munyaneza fled Rwanda in July 1994 and passed through several countries in the region before arriving in the UK in 1999. He initially used the name Charles Muneza and was granted indefinite leave to remain in the UK in 2002, after which his family joined him. Munyaneza is also accused of working with former military officer Aloys Simba in organising attacks against Tutsi during the genocide. He was among the five Rwandan suspects whose extradition cases were considered by UK courts. Emmanuel Nteziryayo Nteziryayo served as bourgmestre of Mudasomwa commune, also in the former Gikongoro Prefecture, during the genocide. A former teacher, he was appointed bourgmestre in 1991. He is accused of participating in the organisation of killings of Tutsi in his commune and working with Interahamwe militia during the genocide. The allegations against him include involvement in the massacre of Tutsi who had sought refuge at Murambi Technical School. Following the genocide, Nteziryayo fled to what was then Zaire, now DR Congo before moving to Zambia and later the UK. He arrived in Britain in 2003 and, according to information presented during the extradition proceedings, sought asylum under the name Emmanuel Nidikumana, claiming to be from Burundi. Nteziryayo is among the Rwandan genocide suspects whose extradition Rwanda has pursued through the UK legal system. Célestin Ugirashebuja Ugirashebuja was the bourgmestre of Kigoma commune in the former Gitarama Prefecture during the genocide. Born in Kigoma in 1953, he was appointed bourgmestre in 1978. He is accused of using his position as a local administrator to facilitate attacks against Tutsi and of working with members of the local administration, gendarmes and Interahamwe militia. According to allegations presented in previous legal proceedings, thousands of Tutsi were killed in the commune during the genocide. Ugirashebuja fled Rwanda in July 1994, initially going to DR Congo before moving to Kenya, where his family later joined him. He studied theology before arriving in the UK in December 1997. He subsequently enrolled at Colchester Institute to study information technology. His alleged involvement in the genocide later attracted public attention in Britain, including through media reports that raised questions about his past. Ugirashebuja was subsequently among the Rwandan suspects targeted in extradition proceedings initiated by Rwanda. Célestin Mutabaruka Mutabaruka was a director of the Crête Zaïre-Nil (CZN) forest management organisation during the Genocide against the Tutsi. Born in Kibuye in 1956, he worked in forestry and development projects before and during the genocide. He is also alleged to have had political links to the former ruling establishment. In 1993, he founded the UNISODEC political party, which was allied with the then ruling MRND party. Following the genocide, Mutabaruka fled to Tanzania and later Kenya before moving to the UK in 1998. He subsequently became a Pentecostal preacher in Britain and founded Bells of Revival Ministries. Mutabaruka is suspected of involvement in attacks against Tutsi in Gatare and of leading Interahamwe militia in attacks against Tutsi who had sought refuge in the Bisesero hills in present-day Karongi District. Bisesero was one of the major killing sites during the genocide, where thousands of Tutsi were killed. Like the other suspects, Mutabaruka was arrested in the UK during the extradition proceedings initiated by Rwanda. What happens next? The four men remain in the UK, where their cases have been the subject of investigations and legal proceedings spanning many years. The extradition proceedings did not result in their transfer to Rwanda, with UK courts rejecting the requests over concerns about whether they would receive fair trials. British authorities subsequently began investigating the allegations with a view to possible prosecution in the UK. According to Wallis, the case file of one of the four remaining suspects has been submitted to the CPS for consideration, while investigations into the other three are continuing. Bajinya's case is the first to reach the charging stage, marking a significant development in Britain's handling of allegations against Rwandans suspected of involvement in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. The development also raises the prospect of further prosecutions in the UK, more than three decades after the genocide.
