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How did the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda expand the understanding of acts that can constitute genocide?

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Railway tracks lead to the brick entrance building and guard tower of Auschwitz Birkenau concentration camp near Oswiecim, Poland. — Genocide Freight train tracks leading to Auschwitz-Birkenau, Nazi Germany's largest concentration camp, near Oświęcim, Poland.

The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) significantly expanded the legal understanding of genocide by broadening the scope of acts that constitute the crime. Beyond traditional definitions, the tribunal formally recognized that genocide includes subjecting a group to conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction, such as:

Subjecting a group to a subsistence diet.
Systematic expulsion from homes.
Reducing essential medical services below minimum requirements.1

Furthermore, the ICTR was a pioneer in establishing that rape and sexual violence constitute genocide when committed with the specific intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a particular group targeted as such. This was a landmark development in international law, as it formally recognized sexual violence as a weapon of war and a tool of genocidal intent. These rulings underscored the principle that such atrocities are grave violations of human rights that cannot be excused by official position or superior orders.12