Karim Khan leaves office after five years as the International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor. His dismissal ends one chapter, but debate over his legacy is likely to continue. (EPA Images pic)KUALA LUMPUR: History has a habit of reducing complicated careers to a single moment.Karim Khan's moment came on Friday.
Eighty-two of the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) 125 member states voted to remove him as chief prosecutor after finding he had committed serious misconduct.Khan has consistently denied the allegations and says he will challenge the decision through every legal avenue available.History, however, may remember more than that.During five years in office, Khan did more than either of his two predecessors to push the ICC beyond the boundaries it had set for itself during its first two decades.That is the legacy history must now weigh.When Khan became the ICC’s third chief prosecutor in 2021, the court faced a familiar criticism.For almost 20 years, nearly every major investigation had centred on Africa.The President of the Assembly of States Parties to the International Criminal Court, Paivi Kaukoranta addresses delegates before Friday’s vote on whether to fire chief prosecutor Karim Khan. (Reuters pic)Supporters argued the evidence led investigators there. Critics said the world’s only permanent international criminal court appeared reluctant to confront more powerful states.Khan tried to change that perception.Under his leadership, the ICC broadened its reach, pursuing cases involving Ukraine, Palestine, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Georgia and the Philippines, while opening an investigation in Venezuela.The message was consistent: the law should apply equally, regardless of geography, military strength or political influence.That philosophy defined his tenure.Karim Khan’s decision to seek arrest warrants against Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant transformed both his tenure and the political pressures surrounding the ICC.
(AFP pic)More than headline casesThe arrest warrants sought against Russian president Vladimir Putin, and later against Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant, dominated international headlines.They also overshadowed much of Khan’s quieter work.He reorganised the Office of the Prosecutor, creating specialist portfolios such as appointing Pro…
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