Karim Ahmad Khan

Karim Asad Ahmad Khan <a href="/facts/King%2527s_Counsel/QBWHBQK2">KC</a> (born 30 March 1970) is a British lawyer who has served as <a href="/facts/Prosecutor_of_the_International_Criminal_Court/KIA8tN3E">Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court</a> since 2021. He specialises in <a href="/facts/International_criminal_law/7MRrkk7m">international criminal law</a> and <a href="/facts/International_human_rights_law/7ugYK3zV">international human rights law</a>.
After his appointment by the <a href="/facts/Secretary-General_of_the_United_Nations/2nNU9WMu">secretary-general of the United Nations</a>, <a href="/facts/Ant%25C3%25B3nio_Guterres/j7h4N7z9">António Guterres</a>, Khan served as a <a href="/facts/United_Nations/fgXLnmgT">United Nations</a> <a href="/facts/Under-Secretary-General_of_the_United_Nations/0m4kI2xW">assistant secretary-general</a> and acted as Special Adviser and Head of the United Nations Investigative Team to promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by <a href="/facts/Islamic_State/1307qum3">Daesh/ISIL</a> in Iraq (UNITAD), which was established in accordance with Security Council resolution 2379 (2017) to support national efforts to hold ISIL (Daesh) accountable for acts that may amount to war crimes, genocide, and crimes against humanity in Iraq.
In February 2021, Khan was elected the chief prosecutor of the <a href="/facts/International_Criminal_Court/z0VwbKkz">International Criminal Court</a> (ICC). In May 2024, he announced the ICC's decision to apply for <a href="/facts/Arrest_warrant/RrEVFbVo">arrest warrants</a> for Israeli prime minister <a href="/facts/Benjamin_Netanyahu/581DW7MB">Benjamin Netanyahu</a>, Israeli defence minister <a href="/facts/Yoav_Gallant/qx0JQhsQ">Yoav Gallant</a>, and Hamas leaders <a href="/facts/Yahya_Sinwar/R8wXUdjV">Yahya Sinwar</a>, <a href="/facts/Mohammed_Deif/LfMDk07n">Mohammed Deif</a>, and <a href="/facts/Ismail_Haniyeh/XUKA43Mg">Ismail Haniyeh</a> for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity. In November 2024, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu, along with Gallant and Deif. An arrest warrant against Myanmar military junta leader, <a href="/facts/Min_Aung_Hlaing/eoLYddKk">Min Aung Hlaing</a>, was also requested the same month. Khan temporarily stepped down as chief prosecutor in May 2025 due to allegations of sexual misconduct.
In February 2025, the <a href="/facts/United_States_Department_of_the_Treasury/lDmua740">United States Department of the Treasury</a> imposed sanctions on Khan after US president <a href="/facts/Donald_Trump/pqqKY21P">Donald Trump</a> sanctioned ICC officials for issuing arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant for alleged war crimes in Gaza.

Karim Ahmad Khan open-in-new

Karim Ahmad Khan