International Arbitrator: Karim Khan's removal does not affect Netanyahu arrest warrant
International lawyer and arbitrator Omar Al-Jazi said that the decision by the Assembly of States Parties to the International Criminal Court (ICC) to remove Prosecutor Karim Khan from office sends a 'dangerous message' that approaching or condemning Israel may carry consequences, describing it as a 'sad day' if political motives were the main driver behind the decision.
Speaking on Al Mamlaka TV, Al-Jazi said that any new prosecutor who succeeds Khan and continues pursuing the Israeli case 'will pay the price,' referring to what he described as the pressures surrounding the court's work in recent months.
He explained that, from a legal and procedural standpoint, Khan's removal is based on provisions of the Rome Statute, which allows for the dismissal of the prosecutor if serious misconduct is proven. However, he stressed that 'the political dimension cannot be ruled out in terms of the climate, timing, and the way the decision has been used.'
Al-Jazi emphasized that the removal of the prosecutor does not affect arrest warrants already issued by the court, including the warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He added that these warrants 'remain evidence that Palestinian blood has entered the records of international justice.'
He noted that the move represents a precedent in the history of the ICC, marking the first time a prosecutor has been removed through a disciplinary process since the court's establishment.
Al-Jazi argued that the case emerged amid 'the most intense pressure campaign' the court has faced since its creation, adding that such pressure escalated following the issuance of arrest warrants linked to the Israeli case.
He also said that Khan denies all allegations against him, noting that his lawyers maintain that the procedures leading to the vote on his removal were 'illegal and procedurally unfair, and not supported by sufficient evidence.'
Member states of the International Criminal Court voted to dismiss prosecutor Karim Khan for serious misconduct, the ICC said on Friday.
Diplomats running the executive bureau of the court's governing body said last month the British barrister had an inappropriate sexual relationship with a junior ICC lawyer and should be fired, documents seen by Reuters showed. On Friday, a large majority of the ICC's 125 member states voted to follow that recommendation.
'The assembly decided by a majority of 82 states parties that the elected official, prosecutor, Karim Khan, committed serious misconduct and a serious breach of duty ... and to remove ... Karim Khan from office,' the president of the court's governing body, Paivi Kaukoranta, said.
Khan, 56, denies any wrongdoing.
'Mr. Khan will challenge the lawfulness and fairness of the decision through all available legal mechanisms,' his lawyer, Tayab Ali, said after the vote.
Khan's dismissal immediately triggers the election process for a new ICC prosecutor who is not expected to be voted in before next year.
'Members of the court acted swiftly and decisively to remove an embattled and discredited official so that the court can move forward with its important work in all the situations on its docket,” said Leila Sadat, professor of international criminal law at Washington University.
Khan's dismissal follows an announcement by the United States that it will launch a renewed diplomatic campaign to dismantle the ICC, which it says is a threat to its sovereignty.
International lawyer and arbitrator Omar Al-Jazi said that the decision by the Assembly of States Parties to the International Criminal Court (ICC) to remove Prosecutor Karim Khan from office sends a 'dangerous message' that approaching or condemning Israel may carry consequences, describing it as a 'sad day' if political motives were the main driver behind the decision.
Speaking on Al Mamlaka TV, Al-Jazi said that any new prosecutor who succeeds Khan and continues pursuing the Israeli case 'will pay the price,' referring to what he described as the pressures surrounding the court's work in recent months.
He explained that, from a legal and procedural standpoint, Khan's removal is based on provisions of the Rome Statute, which allows for the dismissal of the prosecutor if serious misconduct is proven. However, he stressed that 'the political dimension cannot be ruled out in terms of the climate, timing, and the way the decision has been used.'
Al-Jazi emphasized that the removal of the prosecutor does not affect arrest warrants already issued by the court, including the warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He added that these warrants 'remain evidence that Palestinian blood has entered the records of international justice.'
He noted that the move represents a precedent in the history of the ICC, marking the first time a prosecutor has been removed through a disciplinary process since the court's establishment.
Al-Jazi argued that the case emerged amid 'the most intense pressure campaign' the court has faced since its creation, adding that such pressure escalated following the issuance of arrest warrants linked to the Israeli case.
He also said that Khan denies all allegations against him, noting that his lawyers maintain that the procedures leading to the vote on his removal were 'illegal and procedurally unfair, and not supported by sufficient evidence.'
Member states of the International Criminal Court voted to dismiss prosecutor Karim Khan for serious misconduct, the ICC said on Friday.
Diplomats running the executive bureau of the court's governing body said last month the British barrister had an inappropriate sexual relationship with a junior ICC lawyer and should be fired, documents seen by Reuters showed. On Friday, a large majority of the ICC's 125 member states voted to follow that recommendation.
'The assembly decided by a majority of 82 states parties that the elected official, prosecutor, Karim Khan, committed serious misconduct and a serious breach of duty ... and to remove ... Karim Khan from office,' the president of the court's governing body, Paivi Kaukoranta, said.
Khan, 56, denies any wrongdoing.
'Mr. Khan will challenge the lawfulness and fairness of the decision through all available legal mechanisms,' his lawyer, Tayab Ali, said after the vote.
Khan's dismissal immediately triggers the election process for a new ICC prosecutor who is not expected to be voted in before next year.
'Members of the court acted swiftly and decisively to remove an embattled and discredited official so that the court can move forward with its important work in all the situations on its docket,” said Leila Sadat, professor of international criminal law at Washington University.
Khan's dismissal follows an announcement by the United States that it will launch a renewed diplomatic campaign to dismantle the ICC, which it says is a threat to its sovereignty.
International lawyer and arbitrator Omar Al-Jazi said that the decision by the Assembly of States Parties to the International Criminal Court (ICC) to remove Prosecutor Karim Khan from office sends a 'dangerous message' that approaching or condemning Israel may carry consequences, describing it as a 'sad day' if political motives were the main driver behind the decision.
Speaking on Al Mamlaka TV, Al-Jazi said that any new prosecutor who succeeds Khan and continues pursuing the Israeli case 'will pay the price,' referring to what he described as the pressures surrounding the court's work in recent months.
He explained that, from a legal and procedural standpoint, Khan's removal is based on provisions of the Rome Statute, which allows for the dismissal of the prosecutor if serious misconduct is proven. However, he stressed that 'the political dimension cannot be ruled out in terms of the climate, timing, and the way the decision has been used.'
Al-Jazi emphasized that the removal of the prosecutor does not affect arrest warrants already issued by the court, including the warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He added that these warrants 'remain evidence that Palestinian blood has entered the records of international justice.'
He noted that the move represents a precedent in the history of the ICC, marking the first time a prosecutor has been removed through a disciplinary process since the court's establishment.
Al-Jazi argued that the case emerged amid 'the most intense pressure campaign' the court has faced since its creation, adding that such pressure escalated following the issuance of arrest warrants linked to the Israeli case.
He also said that Khan denies all allegations against him, noting that his lawyers maintain that the procedures leading to the vote on his removal were 'illegal and procedurally unfair, and not supported by sufficient evidence.'
Member states of the International Criminal Court voted to dismiss prosecutor Karim Khan for serious misconduct, the ICC said on Friday.
Diplomats running the executive bureau of the court's governing body said last month the British barrister had an inappropriate sexual relationship with a junior ICC lawyer and should be fired, documents seen by Reuters showed. On Friday, a large majority of the ICC's 125 member states voted to follow that recommendation.
'The assembly decided by a majority of 82 states parties that the elected official, prosecutor, Karim Khan, committed serious misconduct and a serious breach of duty ... and to remove ... Karim Khan from office,' the president of the court's governing body, Paivi Kaukoranta, said.
Khan, 56, denies any wrongdoing.
'Mr. Khan will challenge the lawfulness and fairness of the decision through all available legal mechanisms,' his lawyer, Tayab Ali, said after the vote.
Khan's dismissal immediately triggers the election process for a new ICC prosecutor who is not expected to be voted in before next year.
'Members of the court acted swiftly and decisively to remove an embattled and discredited official so that the court can move forward with its important work in all the situations on its docket,” said Leila Sadat, professor of international criminal law at Washington University.
Khan's dismissal follows an announcement by the United States that it will launch a renewed diplomatic campaign to dismantle the ICC, which it says is a threat to its sovereignty.
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International Arbitrator: Karim Khan's removal does not affect Netanyahu arrest warrant
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