Meet Karim Khan: ICC prosecutor leading inquiry into Russia's possible war crimes in Ukraine

On 2 March, a week after Russia launched a special military operation on Ukraine, International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor Karim Khan opened an investigation into alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Ukraine. Prosecutor Khan said in an official statement that he has begun the investigation following a referral from 39 countries, including Britain, Germany, France, and Poland. “I have notified the ICC Presidency a few moments ago of my decision to immediately proceed with active investigations in the situation. Our work in the collection of evidence has now commenced,” Khab announced. Also read: Russia-Ukraine conflict: Can the International Criminal Court bring Vladimir Putin to trial for war crimes? Khan’s investigation will look into the situation in Ukraine from 21 November 2013 onwards “thereby encompassing within its scope any past and present allegations of war crimes, crimes against humanity or genocide committed on any part of the territory of Ukraine by any person”. The first teams to investigate the case are already in Ukraine, Khan said last week. Let’s take a closer look at the ICC prosecutor and other major cases he handled:

• Khan has worked as a barrister and Queen’s Counsel for more than 25 years.
• According to the ICC website, Khan has extensive experience as a prosecutor, victim’s counsel and defence lawyer in domestic and international criminal tribunals, including, but not limited to, the ICC, International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, International Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, the Special Tribunal for Lebanon and the Special Court for Sierra Leone.
• He was elected ICC prosecutor at the nineteenth session of the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute in New York on 12 February. He was sworn in on 16 June.
• The holder of a Bachelor of Laws degree with Honours from King’s College, University of London, Khan has also represented victims of human rights violations in Africa and Asia.
• He was elected as the second President of the ICC Bar Association in July 2017 and is a worldwide Ambassador of the African Bar Association.
• Prior to his appointment as the ICC’s chief prosecutor, Khan was an Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations and served as the first Special Adviser and Head of the United Nations Investigative Team to promote accountability for crimes committed by Da’esh/ISIL in Iraq (UNITAD) between 2018 to 2021.
• After his investigation of atrocities in Iraq, he told the Security Council in May 2021 that he had uncovered “clear and compelling evidence” that Islamic State extremists committed genocide against the Yazidi minority in 2014.
• According to The Guardian, Khan acted as defence counsel for the Kenyan deputy president, William Ruto, who was charged with crimes against humanity after post-election violence in 2007 that saw 1,200 people being killed.
• The ICC dropped the charges against Ruto in 2016, describing it as “troubling incidence of witness interference and intolerable political meddling”.
• Between 2006 and 2007, Khan was also defence counsel for the former Liberian president, Charles Taylor, an association that was questioned by some, according to The Guardian’s report. Taylor was later convicted of war crimes by a special court for Sierra Leone. With inputs from agencies

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