More than three decades after the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, Britain has brought its first domestic criminal case linked to the atrocities in Rwanda. Vincent Bajinya, also known as Vincent Brown, was arrested in London on September 21, 2026, following a seven-year investigation by the Metropolitan Police. The former medical doctor and public official faces seven charges: one count of conduct ancillary to genocide and six counts of conduct ancillary to murder as a crime against humanity. Bajinya is one of five Rwandans whose cases have been at the centre of a long-running legal and extradition dispute between Rwanda and the United Kingdom. British courts previously declined to extradite the suspects to Rwanda, citing fair-trial concerns, while the allegations against them remained unresolved for years. In this episode of The Context, we speak to Dr Alice Uwagaga Urusaro Karekezi, senior legal expert, university lecturer and co-founder of the University of Rwanda’s Centre for Genocide and Conflict Studies, formerly the Centre for Conflict Management. Dr Karekezi examines the significance of Bajinya’s arrest and the wider question raised by the principle aut dedere aut judicare, or ‘extradite or prosecute’. Why did it take Britain so long to pursue a domestic prosecution? What could Bajinya’s case mean for the other Genocide suspects living in the UK? What responsibilities do states have when they refuse extradition? And what are the consequences when justice is delayed for decades? Drawing on her experience in genocide and international criminal justice, Karekezi also reflects on her involvement in the process surrounding the landmark ICTR case against former Taba bourgmestre Jean-Paul Akayesu, as well as the difficult experiences survivors and witnesses can face before and during major genocide trials. The conversation explores the legal, historical and human dimensions of delayed justice – from evidence preservation and international cooperation to the psychological and social burden placed on survivors who must repeatedly revisit traumatic events many years later. Bajinya has been charged, but the allegations against him have not been determined by a court. He is entitled to the presumption of innocence and a fair trial. On The Context, we examine the issues behind the headlines, bringing together news, history and expert analysis to explain why major developments matter.
