Description
Book SynopsisThe controversial 1991 War Crimes Act gave new powers to courts to try non-British citizens resident in the UK for war crimes committed during WWII. But in spite of the extensive investigative and legal work that followed, and the expense of some 11 million, it led to just one conviction: that in 1999 of Anthony (Andrzej) Sawoniuk. Drawing on previously unavailable archival documents, transcripts of interviews with suspects, and disclosures by senior lawyers and policer offers in the War Crimes Units (WCUs), in parallel with the history of bungled investigations in the 1940s, Safe Haven considers for the first time why and how convictions failed to follow investigations. Within the broader context of war crimes investigations in the United States, Germany, and Australia, the authors reassess the legal and investigative processes and decisions that stymied inquiries, from the War Crimes Act itself to the restrictive criteria applied to it. Taken together, the authors argue that these --
Trade ReviewThe authors draw upon extensive research and present their arguments forensically. The book is not only of historical interest, but also offers valuable insights for those seeking justice for later atrocities, of which there have been and continue to be depressingly many. * James Wilson, The Law Society Gazette *