For the International Criminal Court (ICC), February has been a momentous month. A new chief prosecutor was appointed after a fraught election, important cases were started and another was concluded, and a decision reached on the question of Palestine. With some effort, the ICC can use these developments to assert its independence and leverage goodwill by focusing on investigations and cases.
On 4 February, the ICC convicted its first person for crimes committed in Uganda – former Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) commander Dominic Ongwen. The offences occurred between July and December 2005. The conviction comes after over a decade of false starts and sometimes no activity at all. It’s the first conviction of anyone – in a national or international court – for crimes carried out in northern Uganda during the conflict between the LRA and the government.
On shaky ground, the ICC must rebuild with a new prosecutor polity.org.za - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from polity.org.za Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The British lawyer who defended the Kenyan Vice President, William Ruto, at the International Criminal Court (ICC) has been elected Prosecutor of the court to replace Fatou Bensouda from The Gambia who is stepping down after nine years.
Karim Khan, who is currently the head of the UN Security Council-mandated investigation of crimes committed by the Islamic State (ISIS) in Iraq, will take up his position in June.
Mr Khan successfully represented Mr Ruto who was facing charges of murder, deportation and persecution during the violence that followed Kenya’s 2007 election.
He also served as defence counsel on various cases at the Yugoslav tribunal, and the Special Court for Sierra Leone.
Ex-defence lawyer for Kenyan VP elected ICC Prosecutor peacefmonline.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from peacefmonline.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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image captionKarim Khan has acted for Kenya s Deputy President William Ruto and Saifd Al Islam, son of Libya s Muammar Gaddafi
A leading British barrister has been elected the next chief prosecutor at the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Karim Khan, 50, currently heads a United Nations investigation into war crimes committed by the Islamic State group in Iraq.
BBC diplomatic correspondent James Landale said success in a closely-fought election would be seen as a diplomatic win for the UK after Brexit.
The ICC is the only permanent body investigating crimes against humanity.
Mr Khan won the votes of 72 out of 123 countries in the second round of voting, and will begin his nine-year term at the court in the Hague in June.