Karim Khan profile highlights ICC record and disputed legacy

Karim Khan is set to be remembered at the International Criminal Court both for securing arrest warrants against prominent leaders and for the sexual assault allegations that he strongly denies and that led to his dismissal from the prosecutor's post.

Khan, a 56-year-old British lawyer, became ICC chief prosecutor in 2021. At his swearing-in, he said the court should be judged by its actions. As prosecutor, he sought arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas leaders, and earlier obtained an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Putin warrant led to Khan being placed on a wanted list in Russia.

His application for warrants against Netanyahu and Hamas leaders drew strong criticism. Netanyahu called it a moral outrage, and then US president Joe Biden called Khan's actions outrageous. Before the applications, senior US Republicans had sent Khan a letter threatening to bar him and his family from the United States.

Khan defended his approach by saying it was not a witch hunt but a forensic process expected of international prosecutors.

Before becoming ICC prosecutor, Khan worked on international law cases at the former Yugoslav and Rwandan war crimes tribunals from 1997 to 2000. He later represented survivors and relatives of victims of Cambodia's Khmer Rouge era before a UN-backed court. He also worked at the Special Tribunal for Lebanon in The Hague, which was created to try those accused over the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafic Hariri.

Khan also worked as a defence lawyer. His clients included former Liberian president Charles Taylor, Kenyan President William Ruto and Seif al-Islam, son of the late Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi. Ruto's crimes against humanity case at the ICC was later dropped. Khan has said that working on both prosecution and defence helps lawyers stay grounded.

The ICC selection panel described Khan as a charismatic and articulate communicator who was well aware of his achievements. Khan replied that he had applied for the prosecutor job because he thought he could do it, and said that if the committee considered that arrogance, he was guilty as charged.

Melanie O'Brien, a visiting professor in international law at the University of Minnesota, told AFP that Khan seemed like a no-nonsense lawyer. She said an ICC prosecutor needs fortitude because the role involves facing people who disagree with the prosecutor and with the court.

But the allegations against Khan have cast a shadow over his record. A female staff member accused him of sexual assault, which he strongly denies. ICC members voted to dismiss him as prosecutor. Deputy Prosecutor Mandiaye Niang told AFP in December that even if the allegations were only accusations, they had disturbed the court and poisoned the atmosphere. He said the accusations were enough to cast doubt over the court's work.