International Criminal Court prosecutor Karim Khan announced on Monday that he would seek arrest warrants for Israeli and Hamas leaders. During his long career in international law, Karim Khan earned a reputation as a gifted speaker and a strong-willed litigator.
He is a British litigator who took over as the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court in June 2021. Previously, he served as defense and prosecutor in various international courts.
His notable clients include Saif al-Islam Gaddafison of late libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafiand former Liberian president Charles Taylor, who fired him.
One controversial case was his defense of current Kenyan President William Ruto, who faced charges of inciting violence following national elections. The case came to light in 2016 when Mr Ruto was deputy president Ended in mistrial Because of witness interference and political interference. Mr Khan has not been accused of wrongdoing. He also worked on war crimes issues in Rwanda, Cambodia and Iraq.
ICC member states elect a prosecutor by secret ballot in 2021 After a month of deadlock, they chose Mr KhanHe has strong support from the UK and other European countries. Although the United States is not a member of the ICJ, officials in Washington support him behind the scenes.
One of his first actions as prosecutor was to “downgrade” the investigation into prisoner abuse by U.S. troops in Afghanistan, surprising many, and instead focus on larger-scale crimes alleged by the Taliban and Islamic State superior.
He began investigating shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022 and Obtain an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir V. Putin In March 2023, another Russian official opened an investigation into him. An investigation launched in 2021 into Israeli crimes against Palestinians, as well as those committed by Hamas, has made little progress.
Many legal commentators believe the discrepancy reflects a double standard that harms the court, although the court says the investigation has been hampered by a lack of cooperation from Israel. Critics accuse Mr Khan of being slow to respond to the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7 and Israel’s subsequent military response, which created a humanitarian crisis amid the crackdown on Hamas.
But Mr. Khan noted that investigators were immediately allowed to work inside Ukraine, while Israel blocked him or anyone from his office from entering Gaza. He was recently allowed to travel to the West Bank and Israeli villages attacked by Hamas.
Mr Khan announced on Monday that he had asked a judge to order the arrest of two senior Israeli officials – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the country’s Defense Minister Yoav Galant – as well as three Hamas leaders Order, by the standards of the International Criminal Court, this is an exceptional incident.
Rather than wait for a judge to make a decision or sign a warrant, he unexpectedly revealed his plans in a recorded announcement on the court’s website. Also unusual was his simultaneous disclosure of a list of prominent experts, two of whom were former judges, whom he had consulted to review his evidence and legal analysis before seeking the warrant. While prosecutors are known to consult experts, some experts believe Mr. Khan released the list to demonstrate that his decision had strong legal support outside of court.
Christine van den Weingart, a senior Belgian jurist who has served on the ICC and other international tribunals, said Mr Khan had “shown that he has thought deeply about this”.
She added: “He seems to be more cautious than his predecessor. Their cases sometimes failed because there was not enough evidence.”
