UK's Karim Khan elected next International Criminal Court chief prosecutor
Feb 13, 2021
New York [US], February 13 : Karim Khan, a United Kingdom barrister, has been elected in the second round as the next chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Parties to the ICC on Friday elected Khan as the new prosecutor for a nine-year term at the United Nations (UN) in New York, the Times of Israel reported. Karim will replace Fatou Bensouda from the Gambia, later in the month of June.
"Karim Khan (United Kingdom) has been elected in the second round as the next ICC Prosecutor. Warm congratulations! Thank you all for your hard work," said O-Gon Kwon, President of the Assembly of States Parties, the management oversight and legislative body of ICC.
Khan secured 72 votes and won on the second ballot of the 123 parties. He finished ahead of Fergal Gaynor of Ireland with 42 votes and two other candidates.
He is a barrister and Queen's Counsel in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, with more than 25 years of professional experience as an international criminal law and human rights lawyer.
Previously, Karim has served as the head of the investigative team, which was established pursuant to Security Council resolution 2379 (2017), to support domestic efforts to hold Islamic State accountable in Iraq, for acts that may amount to war crimes.
According to the UN data, Khan has extensive experience in acting as prosecutor, victim's counsel and defence lawyer in domestic and international criminal tribunals, including, but not limited to, the International Criminal Court.
Khan holds an LLB (Hons) in law from King's College, University of London, and various other degrees and qualifications. Khan has studied and lectured on Islamic law and has published extensively in the area of international criminal justice and human rights.
