President Obama has nominated Stephen Rapp, currently the Prosecutor for the Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL), as his Ambassador at Large for War Crimes Issues.
As head of the Office of War Crimes Issues, Rapp will report directly to Secretary Clinton regarding a wide range of war crimes issues – from Darfur to Burma to Uganda. While under the Bush administration the office also handled certain issues related to Guantanamo detainees, this role has been removed.
Rapp has served as a US Attorney in Iowa, as a prosecutor at the ICTR on the so-called ‘Media Trial’ where Rwandan radio and newspaper executives were convicted for incitement to commit genocide, and most recently as lead prosecutor at former Liberian President Charles Taylor‘s case at the SCSL. He will replace Clint Williamson, who has held the position since his appointment in 2006.