Episode 83: Stephen Rapp

Stephen Rapp recently stepped down after serving for six years as the US Ambassador- at-Large for War Crimes Issues. Prior to that he served as a prosecutor for the Rwanda War Crimes Tribunal, where he lead the team of prosecutors in the famous case against a radio station accused of fomenting genocide. He also headed the Sierra Leone War Crimes Tribunal when it secured a conviction against former Liberian president Charles Taylor.

When Rapp was a 21 year old intern in Washington, DC he was pistol whipped and left for dead in the trunk of his own car. He describes how that experience shaped his commitment to victims rights and the rule of law, why he decided to run for public office in his native Iowa, and how he made the transition from a US Attorney to a UN war crimes prosecutor.