Updated
Updated · Reuters · Jun 19
British Regulator Suspends ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan, With Review Due Within 4 Weeks
Updated
Updated · Reuters · Jun 19

British Regulator Suspends ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan, With Review Due Within 4 Weeks

3 articles · Updated · Reuters · Jun 19

Summary

  • Britain's Bar Standards Board suspended ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan with immediate effect, adding a second formal suspension after the court's governing body sidelined him on June 8.
  • An 18-month inquiry found a factual basis for allegations that Khan had a non-consensual sexual relationship with a younger staff member; his lawyers said he denies wrongdoing and will challenge the action.
  • The British suspension will be reviewed by a panel within four weeks, while the ICC's 125 member states are set to vote on Khan's future at a special session on July 24.
  • The case deepens pressure on the Hague-based war crimes court, which is already facing U.S. sanctions tied to its investigations involving Israel and past U.S. conduct in Afghanistan.

Insights

Did the prosecutor's arrest warrants for world leaders trigger his downfall over misconduct claims?
With judges unconvinced by evidence, is the ICC's case against its prosecutor politically motivated?
Can the ICC's integrity survive a crisis fueled by internal division and external pressure?