Prosecuting the Powerful: War Crimes and the Battle for Justice

Could Putin or other war criminals ever be put on trial? Steve Crawshaw's compelling new history of prosecuting war crimes shows how it is more likely than you might think.

Newly revised and updated

SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2025 MOORE PRIZE IN HUMAN RIGHTS WRITING

'Prosecuting The Powerful isn't just compelling and very moving, it has all the force of a well-crafted thriller. I literally couldn't stop reading it,' John Simpson, BBC World Affairs Editor

'A compelling account of a revolutionary moment in history,' Philippe Sands, The Spectator

'Powerful, timely and moving,' Baroness Helena Kennedy KC

'A tour de force,' Lindsey Hilsum, International Editor, Channel 4 News

'Absolutely brilliant,' Nick Cohen

Could we ever see Vladimir Putin in the dock for his crimes? What about a Western ally like Benjamin Netanyahu? Putting a country's leader on trial once seemed unimaginable. But as Steve Crawshaw describes in Prosecuting the Powerful - a blend of powerful eyewitness reporting and gripping history - the possibilities of justice have been transformed.

Crawshaw includes recent stories from the front lines of justice in Ukraine, Israel/Palestine and at The Hague, as well as his earlier encounters with war criminals like Slobodan Milošević. He tells the stories of those who have demanded protection for civilians and accountability for war criminals - from the Geneva Conventions to the Syrian police photographer who helped put one of Bashar al-Assad's torturers behind bars. He also follows the extraordinary unfolding story of two of the world's most powerful and well-connected leaders currently under indictment at the International Criminal Court in The Hague: Putin and Netanyahu.

For all the current darkness, this is a historic opportunity. The scales of justice can and must be balanced. Now is the moment.

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