To Catch a War Criminal: A Look at the International Criminal Court

The National Public Radio show "On Point" featured an hour long segment about the International Criminal Court on August 5th, 2009. It was called "To Catch a War Criminal" and featured two guest speakers: Pamela Yates, the director of the film The Reckoning which looks deeply into the workings of the ICC, and Christine Chung, the former senior trial attorney for the ICC.

Each woman discussed different parts of the court and their dealings with it. There was a brief description of what the court does, how it was established, how they build a case and issue arrest warrants, as well as a brief discussion of the court's relationship with the U.S. There were also clips from The Reckoning played, an inside look at the making of the film including how it felt to talk to the victims of these atrocities.

Throughout the show the discussion was prompted by questions called in by listeners. Many of them asked about the extent of the power of the ICC and if such an organization can really have an effect. Both Yates and Chung spoke of the court having a multi faceted effect on countries all over the world. Even the threat of an ICC investigation acts as a deterrent to war criminals.

"To Catch a War Criminal" is a great segment for both people that don't know much about the ICC and those that don't know much about The Reckoning. It is short and informative while also providing a very human approach to the atrocities committed by the countries the ICC is investigating. Yates also revealed that on the POV website there will be updates on the investigations and the trial of Lubanga.

To listen to this segment click here.

To watch The Reckoning click here.

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