Brussels - A Belgian judge yesterday sentenced two Rwandan nuns to long prison terms for their part in Rwanda's 1994 genocide in which an estimated 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were massacred.
Benedictine Sister Gertrude, a former mother superior at a convent in Rwanda where thousands of Tutsi refugees were slaughtered, was sentenced to 15 years in a Belgian jail.
Sister Maria Kisito, also found guilty of war crimes by the Belgian jury, was sentenced to 12 years.
Alphonse Higaniro, former Rwandan transport minister, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for his part in the genocide.
A fourth defendant, university professor Vincent Ntezimana, was given a 12year sentence.
The eight-week landmark trial was the first time a civilian jury in one country has judged suspected war criminals from another country.