Prosecuting the Powerful: War Crimes and the Battle for Justice

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SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2025 MOORE PRIZE IN HUMAN RIGHTS WRITING


'In this powerful book, Steve Crawshaw, who has devoted his career to the pursuit of international justice, eloquently confronts one of the toughest dilemmas of the moment: how to hold war criminals to account.' Anne Applebaum, author of Autocracy, Inc

'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

Guardian Book of the Day

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 Swiss businessman who is the reason why we have the Geneva Conventions today and the prosecutors at Nuremberg 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.

From Gaza to Bucha and beyond, survivors seek justice for the crimes committed against them. But for that to happen, governments must finally abandon their double standards and have the courage to support prosecutions of those who commit atrocities, whether opponents or allies.

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

Critics Review

A magnificent account of a noble obsession - the determination to make war criminals, and the people behind them, pay for what they have done. Steve Crawshaw, who has devoted himself to campaigning for precisely that, explains in calm, careful detail why it's not only possible, but (in this disturbing age of Ukraine and Gaza) is actually starting to happen. For me, 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
In a world riven with war and atrocities, we are watching nations which boast a commitment to the rule of law showing contempt for it when it applies to them or their allies. Powerful, timely and moving, Steve Crawshaw's book is an indictment of double standards and hypocrisy, and a brilliant call for justice
Helena Kennedy
In a time when it's easy to despair about war atrocities, Steve Crawshaw reminds us of the important advance of international law. His personal experience and the use of arresting detail give us hope that those who are causing so much suffering today may face justice tomorrow. A tour de force
Lindsey Hilsum, International Editor, Channel 4 News and author of 'I Brought the War With Me: Stories and Poems from the Front Line
In this powerful book, Steve Crawshaw, who has devoted his career to the pursuit of international justice, eloquently confronts one of the toughest dilemmas of the moment: how to hold war criminals to account
Anne Applebaum, author of Autocracy, Inc
This is an important primer for our dark times
Luke Harding, The Observer
Crawshaw shows the obvious double standards at play and the deliberately selective application of international justice that has often arisen. Yet there is an essential optimism in the work. It may not persuade the doubters, but will likely prove persuasive to those committed to a more just world
Shane Darcy, Irish Times

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