International Criminal Court Falls into Disrepute

The member states of the International Criminal Court (ICC) voted on Friday to dismiss prosecutor K arim Khan f or serious misconduct. Leaders of the executive bureau of the court’s governing body said last month that the British barrister had an inappropriate sexual relationship with a junior ICC lawyer and should be fired.

On Friday, 82 of t he ICC’s 125 member states voted to follow that recommendation because Khan was responsible for serious misconduct and a serious breach of duty.

When asked to comment about Khan’s dismissal, Natasha Hausdorff, Legal Director of the UKLFI Charitable Trust, said that while this was the first time the ICC’s dismissal procedure had been put into practice, it was not the first time the court had run into difficulties.

In 2020, a major independent review criticised the court and presented "something like 380 specific recommendations for sweeping structural and cultural reforms . It highlighted an internal environment plagued by fear, pervasive bullying, and a systemic reluctance amongst staff to report professional misconduct."

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All of this represents a serious blow to the ICC and the trust placed in international law. It goes part way to explaining why the USA has launched a campaign to dismantle the court’s threat to American sovereignty.

It also calls into question the arrest warrants issued by Khan for Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant, which many claim were politically motivated, as well as being timed to distract attention from the allegations against Khan.