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 Miloevi¿. 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.
