Stephen Rapp, 2016-05-16

File — Box: 21, Folder: 13

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

In his interview, Stephen Rapp reminisces about his interest in becoming involved with international prosecutions in the aftermath of ethnic cleansing in Kosovo; applying to a vacant position at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) while working as a federal prosecutor in rural Iowa; his process of recruitment as senior trial attorney at the ICTR; presenting the Bikindi indictment to Carla Del Ponte in The Hague before the arrival of Slobodan Milošević at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslative; the impact of his prior experience as an American-trained lawyer at the ICTR; and his experience as a prosecutor in Iowa bringing the first violence against women case.

He discusses his selection as the lead prosecutor in the Prosecutor v. Barayagwiza, Nahimana, and Ngeze ("Media") trial; the approach of the prosecutorial team against the three accused of inciting genocide; building cases against "masterminds" of the Rwandan genocide; interpreting the RTLM broadcasts as an incitement to genocide; developing a new approach to plea-bargaining; the impact of Nuremberg on the development of international criminal law; and the future of international criminal justice.

Dates

Creation: 2016-05-16

Creator

Rapp, Stephen, 1949- (Interviewee, Person)
Carter, Linda (Interviewer, Person)
SáCouto, Susana (Interviewer, Person)

Biographical / Historical

Stephen Rapp was born 26 January 1949. He obtained a bachelor's degree from Harvard University and a law degree from Drake University Law School. He served as U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Iowa from 1993 to 2001; senior trial attorney at the ICTR from 2001 to 2005; chief of prosecutions at the ICTR from 2005 to 2007; chief prosecutor of the Special Court for Sierra Leone from 2007 to 2009; and U.S. ambassador-at-large for war cimes from 2009 to 2015.