NEW YORK (US) – British national Karim Khan was elected the new prosecutor of the International Criminal Court on Friday. His 9-year term starts on June 16.
He contested against three candidates and he was elected in a secret ballot as the replacement of lead prosecutor Fatou Bensouda. The tribunal, which is based in the Hague and has 123 members, handles war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and crimes of aggression.
Khan hogged the limelight when he headed the UN special probe team investigating the IS crimes in Iraq.
In a span of 27 years, Khan has worked for almost all international criminal tribunals as prosecution, defence and counsel for victims. He is also the Queen’s Counsel. At the international tribunal, Khan is best known for being a lead defence counsel, working on cases from Kenya, Sudan and Libya.
There was intense political lobbying for the top post at a time when there is heightened scrutiny of the prosecutor’s office.
After assuming office, one of Khan’s first decisions could be pressing ahead with a probe into the Palestinian territories where Bensouda said there is a reasonable basis to conclude war crimes may have been committed by both parties.
“Karim’s extensive experience in international law will be pivotal in ensuring we hold those responsible for the most heinous crimes to account and gain justice for their victims,” Britain’s Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab tweeted.
