Washington has reportedly blacklisted Karim Khan in retaliation for a war crimes probe

International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor Karim Khan will become the first individual sanctioned by the United States under President Donald Trump’s executive order targeting the court, Reuters reported on Friday, citing sources familiar with the matter.

Trump signed an executive order authorizing economic and travel sanctions against ICC officials investigating alleged war crimes by US citizens and allies such as Israel. The order includes freezing assets and barring entry into the US for those affected and their immediate family members. It also reportedly directed Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, in consultation with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, to submit a report within 60 days naming people who should be sanctioned.

“Khan, who is British, was named on Friday in an annex – not yet made public,” a senior ICC official and another source told Reuters on condition of anonymity.

Khan was elected ICC prosecutor in 2021 and previously served as head of the UN Investigative Team for Daesh/ISIL crimes in Iraq. He has worked in multiple international tribunals and represented victims of human rights violations in Africa and Asia.

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Under an agreement between the United Nations and Washington, Khan should be able to regularly travel to the US to brief the UN Security Council on cases referred to the court in The Hague. The Security Council has referred investigations on Libya and Sudan’s Darfur region to the ICC. Most recently, he was in New York last week for a briefing on Sudan. 

“We trust that any restrictions taken against individuals would be implemented consistently with the host country’s obligations under the UN Headquarters Agreement,” deputy UN spokesman Farhan Haq said on Friday.

Established in 2002, the International Criminal Court has the jurisdiction to prosecute genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes in member states or when the UN Security Council refers a case. 

Washington, however, argues that the court has no jurisdiction over the US or Israel, as neither country is a signatory to the Rome Statute. Its attempt to investigate alleged American war crimes in Afghanistan in 2020 resulted in US sanctions against then-ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda.

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The latest development coincides with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Washington, during which he praised the US sanctions against the court. Khan had previously issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for “the war crime of intentionally directing an attack against the civilian population” in Gaza.  

The ICC has condemned the US sanctions, and pledged to continue providing justice to victims of atrocities.

“International criminal law is an essential element to fighting impunity, which is unfortunately widespread,” the spokesman stated. “The International Criminal Court is its essential element, and it must be allowed to work in full independence.”