The Swiss lawyer who strives to bring war criminals to justice

Alain Werner, a Geneva lawyer specialising in international criminal law, tirelessly pursues war criminals around the world, determined to bring justice to victims of atrocities. Despite political obstacles and the fragile state of international justice, Werner remains committed to his mission: to give a voice to those silenced by history’s horrors. Alain Werner is resolute in his commitment to achieving justice, despite the constant challenges of prosecuting war criminals. In an interview with Swiss public television, RTS, he recalls a man who lost his brother in a Khmer Rouge detention centre in Phnom Penhm, the capital of Cambodia. “He’d been having nightmares for 30 years,” says Werner. But witnessing the sentencing of Kaing Guek Eav, alias Duch, the camp’s former head, “changed his life”. “All these experiences inspire us," he says. "The courage of these people drives us to be their spokespeople, even when convictions come decades after the crimes. Often, the victims now are ...