"The International Criminal Court has done nothing so far to prosecute Israel’s war crimes in Gaza. Is it influenced by the UK’s funding of the ICC, Khan being the UK’s government’s placeman or by US threats to prosecute its officials?"..🤔
"Karim Khan, a British barrister, was the UK’s nominee for ICC prosecutor, though he was not initially shortlisted. His appointment, in February 2021, was mired by controversies over how the election was organised."
"When news broke that he was to be the next ICC prosecutor, the Economist commented that the Conservative government was “cock-a-hoop” over his appointment. Khan’s election “was surely a sign that Britain still had diplomatic heft”, it wrote."
economist.com
economist.com
"The Foreign Office noted that the appointment of Khan was one of its “key achievements” in 2020/21."
🤔
🤔
"Khan had extensive international legal experience before joining the ICC, including serving as a special adviser at the UN investigating the crimes of Islamic State in Iraq."..
"As a lawyer in London during 2000-10 Khan prosecuted criminal cases at the Bar, and was included on the “Old Bailey list” to prosecute the most serious offences at the Central Criminal Court."
The UK government has been one of the largest financial contributors to the [ICC]. It has provided the organisation with £10.5m to its latest annual budget and a further £2m since the commencement of Russia’s attacks on Ukraine.
"Khan has a family connection to the UK Conservative Party via his brother Imran Ahmad Khan,an MP who in 2022 was found guilty of sexually assaulting a 15 year old boy. He was subsequently expelled from the party & sentenced to 18 months imprisonment."🤔
theguardian.com
theguardian.com
A few months after his appointment, in November 2021, Khan announced to the United Nations Security Council that he intended to limit the ICC’s investigations to those referred to his office by that Council, whose permanent members include the UK and US.
"Investigations that were not referred in this way would be placed under review. These included those into Afghanistan and Palestine that were conducted by his predecessor, Fatou Bensouda."..
A few years earlier, in December 2017 Bensouda announced that: “The [prosecutor’s] office has reached the conclusion that there is a reasonable basis to believe that members of the UK armed forces committed war crimes .. against persons in their custody.”
"The accusation referred to the conduct of the UK military in Iraq and would undoubtedly have displeased UK authorities."
theguardian.com
theguardian.com
"Although the US (and Israel) is not a member of the ICC, Afghanistan ratified the Rome Statute that underpins the Court."..
"So in 2016 the ICC commenced an investigation into alleged war crimes by the US military in Afghanistan."..
thecanary.co
thecanary.co
Bensouda found that: “War crimes of torture and related ill-treatment, by US military forces deployed to Afghanistan and in secret detention facilities operated by the CIA, principally in the 2003-2004 period, although allegedly continuing in some cases until 2014”.
"Subsequently, in 2018 Washington issued a threat to arrest ICC judges should they attempt to charge US army personnel for war crimes."..
Moreover, National Security advisor John Bolton warned that the US would ban “its [ICC] judges and prosecutors from entering the United States. We will sanction their funds in the US financial system, and we will prosecute them in the US criminal system.”
"Undaunted,in Dec. 2019 Bensouda said she was satisfied that“war crimes have been or are being committed in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, & the Gaza Strip”.
No doubt the US was concerned that Bensouda’s investigations could see its ally Israel facing prosecutions."
No doubt the US was concerned that Bensouda’s investigations could see its ally Israel facing prosecutions."
"So it was that in September 2020 the US applied sanctions against Bensouda and her colleagues. The US also revoked her visas and visas for other senior ICC individuals."..
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