The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Karim Khan, has been a prominent figure in the news in recent years. In 2023, he requested – and was granted – a warrant for the arrest of Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin.
He then dived into the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in May 2024, requesting arrest warrants for the leaders of Hamas and Israel in response to the ongoing violence in the Middle East. The ICC is expected to make a decision on whether to accept Khan’s request in the coming days.
The prosecutor is responsible for initiating investigations when there are reasonable grounds to believe that one of the four international crimes within the ICC’s jurisdiction has been committed. These crimes are war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, and the crime of aggression.
