Why Proving War Crimes Is Difficult and Rare

This episode details graphic scenes.

Many around the world are calling the indiscriminate attacks on civilians in Bucha, a suburb northwest of the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, a war crime.

But investigating such atrocities is painstakingly complicated. Could one case that resulted in convictions — the genocide in Bosnia in the 1990s — offer lessons on how to proceed?

Guest: Roger Cohen, the Paris bureau chief for The New York Times.

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Background reading:

• With Russian forces retreating, Ukrainians in Bucha are finding scores of bodies in yards and on the roads amid mounting evidence of intentional and indiscriminate killings.
• The images from Bucha spurred Western leaders to promise even tougher sanctions against Russia.

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