On September 28, 2015, a German court sentenced two Rwandan rebel leaders for their roles during the internal conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2008 and 2009. According to a news report, the two men were charged with planning attacks and controlling the militias committing mass murder, rape and lootings from Germany using satellite phones, SMS messages and emails. The case was the first time German Courts exercised jurisdiction under the German Code of Crimes against International Law, which allows prosecutors to investigate and bring actions for war crimes “even when the offense was committed abroad and bears no relation to Germany.”