International Criminal Court Prosecutor Karim Khan speaks during an interview with Reuters in The Hague, Netherlands, Feb. 12, 2024. (Credit: Piroschka Van de Wouw/Reuters)
Faced with accusations of sexual assault and abuse of authority, International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor Karim Khan denied the allegations. On Oct. 28, he called for an immediate inquiry by the ICC’s Independent Oversight Mechanism (IOM).
“… I ask that the inquiry be set up and permitted to do its work without interference so that the crucial work of the office may continue unimpeded,” he wrote on X.
This statement came after Paivi Kaukoranta, president of the Assembly of States Parties to the ICC (ASP, the ICC’s oversight body), said last week that the IOM “was seized with the matter on the basis of a third-party report” but was “not in a position to proceed with an investigation at this stage,” in the absence of the alleged victim’s consent.
According to an investigation The Guardian published on Oct. 27, a lawyer, described as working directly with Khan, reported unwanted sexual advances by the latter. The investigation conducted by the British newspaper pointed, in particular, to repeated attempts to initiate sexual contact and various touching without her consent in several places, between April 2023 and April 2024. The alleged victim reported these incidents to two of her close colleagues on her return from a work trip abroad with the prosecutor in April.
Pressure?
According to a source cited by The Guardian, the complaint against the ICC prosecutor was lodged without the consent of the alleged victim. The lawyer reportedly expressed surprise and concern at the way the situation was being handled, fearing in particular that the case would be politicized.
“She never wanted any of this,” a person close to her told The Guardian. “But the complaint filed against her wishes, followed by Khan’s denials and attempts to suppress the allegations, have forced her into a very difficult position,” the person added.
The Guardian also revealed that, after learning about the existence of these reports in May, Khan contacted the alleged victim several times (by phone and in person) to get her to withdraw her accusations — the prosecutor’s lawyer denied to The Guardian this attempt.
On the eve of the article’s publication, Khan had first reacted publicly to the case, stating in a press release that “there is no truth to suggestions of such misconduct.”
“This is a moment in which myself and the ICC are subject to a wide range of attacks and threats,” he added, without explicitly pointing the finger at Israel.
This case came at a time when the ICC is facing a political and diplomatic crisis linked to Khan’s request in May that the court issue arrest warrants against the Israeli Prime Minister, Benyamin Netanyahu, his Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant, and several Hamas leaders.
While three ICC judges are still examining these requests, press reports revealed that The Hague-based court has been subject to pressure and several interventions by third parties to delay these proceedings.
This article originally appeared in French in L'Orient-Le Jour. It was translated by Joelle El-Khoury.
