A Talk with Michela Wrong About International Criminal Justice and Human Rights
The Biden administration and Congress have discussed accountability efforts in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. But is the international system ready to hold all parties accountable, or will the process set back the course of international justice efforts?
In this episode, Jason Poblete talks with Michela Wrong, an award-winning British journalist and author who has had a rich career that has taken her from the fashion runways of Paris and later as a foreign correspondent in Africa for Reuters, the BBC, and the Financial Times. She was awarded the 2010 James Cameron prize for journalism “that combined moral vision and professional integrity.”
As she details on her website, her fifth book, “Do Not Disturb,” published in 2021, is a damning portrait of the Rwandan Patriotic Front, from its days as a united band of rebel fighters to today’s era, in which killer squads are dispatched across the world to silence exiled former insiders. The book has prompted a vitriolic backlash on Rwanda’s government-controlled social media, and President Paul Kagame has denounced the author on national television as a foreign agent.
Jason and Michela talk about several aspects of international justice. They also discuss the case of eight Rwandan men tried by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda; 4 were acquitted, while the other 4 served their sentences. They are now in legal limbo as they seek to be reunited with loved ones. In addition, they also talk about unfinished accountability efforts related to the Rwandan genocide.
Be sure to check out her latest book on the Rwanda genocide, link below, Do Not Disturb: The Story of a Political Murder and an African Regime Gone Bad." “A withering assault on the murderous Rwandan regime of Paul Kagame, and a melancholy love song to the lost dreams of the nations of Africa’s Great Lakes. Michela Wrong proves once again that she is an intrepid and highly professional researcher of the subject she knows best. It’s a major accomplishment, very driven, very impassioned.” ―JOHN LE CARRÉ, best-selling author of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.
Further Reading
- "Where the international justice system fails; As war crimes investigators gather evidence in Ukraine, Michela Wrong looks at how the uncertain fate of eight Rwandan men reveals failures in the international justice system," Prospect (Dec. 8. 2022).
- "Do Not Disturb: The Story of a Political Murder and an African Regime Gone Bad," Michela Wrong (March 30, 2021).
- "I Didn't Do It for You: How the World Betrayed a Small African Nation," Michela Wrong (June 6, 2006).
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