He is a controversial choice
Boris johnson’s government was cock-a-hoop. The election on February 12th of Karim Khan, a British barrister, as chief prosecutor for the International Criminal Court (icc) in The Hague was surely a sign that Britain still had diplomatic heft post-Brexit. Mr Khan’s appointment would be “pivotal in ensuring we hold those responsible for the most heinous crimes to account,” beamed Dominic Raab, the foreign secretary. Others say Mr Khan’s appointment is less a diplomatic coup for Britain than for Kenya, whose government has done much to damage the icc’s credibility.
Victims of human-rights abuses around the world have been ill-served since the court began operating in 2002. Mr Khan’s two predecessors, Luis Moreno Ocampo and Fatou Bensouda, managed to secure just five significant convictions between them in 18 years. Mr Khan has many of the attributes a successful prosecutor needs: he is, admirers say, combative, wily and “frighteningly clever”. He also has decades of experience in international criminal law, most recently heading a un investigation into atrocities committed by Islamic State. His candidacy was backed by, among others, six African ngos.
