'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
'Powerful timely and moving ' Baroness Helena Kennedy KC 'A tour de force ' Lindsey Hilsum
International Editor Channel 4 News 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 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.
