The Butare Four consisted of four Rwandans convicted in June 2001 for war crimes that occurred during the Rwanda genocide. The case was the first time that a Belgian court had convicted people for a crime committed abroad against international law.
Detail
The four individuals were a former professor at Butare University Vincent Ntezimana; factory director Alphonse Higaniro; and Benedictine nuns Sister Gertrude a.k.a. Consolata Mukangango and Sister Kisito a.k.a. Julienne Mukabutera. The four were convicted for participating in the killing of Tutsi citizens in their native Rwanda. The Four fled to Belgium, where they were subsequently tried, convicted, and sentenced to 12 to 20 years under Belgium Law.
Belgium did not have an extradition treaty with Rwanda at the time. The Belgium courts implemented the use of universal jurisdiction. This is the first case in which Belgium applied universal jurisdiction. In addition, it was the first time individuals were tried and convicted under the 1993 Act Concerning Grave Breaches of International Humanitarian Law.