The Butare Four are four Rwandans who were 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.
[1] The four individuals were Vincent Ntezimana, a former professor at Butare University; Alphonse Higaniro, the SORWAL factory director; and Benedictine nuns Sister Gertrude a.k.a.
The four fled to Belgium, where they were subsequently tried, convicted, and sentenced to 12 to 20 years under Belgian law.
In addition, it was the first time individuals were tried and convicted under the 1993 Act Concerning Grave Breaches of International Humanitarian Law.