Why Proving War Crimes Is Difficult and Rare

<p><i>This episode details graphic scenes. </i></p><p>Many around the world are calling the indiscriminate attacks on civilians in Bucha, a suburb northwest of the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, a war crime.</p><p>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?</p><p>Guest: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/by/roger-cohen?smid=pc-thedaily">Roger Cohen</a>, the Paris bureau chief for The New York Times.</p><p>Want more from The Daily? For one big idea on the news each week from our team, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/newsletters/the-daily?module=inline">subscribe to our newsletter</a>. </p><p>Background reading: </p><ul><li>With Russian forces retreating, Ukrainians in Bucha are finding scores of bodies in yards and on the roads amid mounting evidence of<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/03/world/europe/ukraine-russia-war-civilian-deaths.html"> intentional and indiscriminate killings</a>.</li><li>The images from Bucha spurred Western leaders to<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/04/world/europe/biden-putin-ukraine-war.html"> promise even tougher sanctions</a> against Russia.</li></ul><p>For more information on today’s episode, visit <a href="http://nytimes.com/thedaily?smid=pc-thedaily">nytimes.com/thedaily</a>. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. </p>