ICC's Karim Khan set to be 1st staff member sanctioned by Trump

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Reuters
Today 06:19

Reuters reports that ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan will be the first ICC staff member to be subject to US sanctions.

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Karim Khan, International Criminal Court chief prosecutor, speaks during a news conference at the Ministry of Justice in Khartoum, Sudan, on August 12, 2021. (AP)

International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor Karim Khan will be the first individual to be sanctioned by United States President Donald Trump, two sources briefed on the matter told Reuters.

Khan was named in an annex, that has not been made public yet, to an executive order signed by the US president on Thursday, the news agency reported, citing an ICC official and another source briefed by the US administration.

After signing the order, the US president now has broad powers to freeze assets and impose travel bans on ICC staff and their families. The sanctions would be imposed if Washington determines that staff members are involved in efforts to investigate or prosecute Americans and some of the US's allies, including Israelis.

Trump claimed that the ICC has "abused its power" by issuing arrest warrants, which he believed "set a dangerous precedent." The US president said that the warrants endanger US citizens and US military personnel.

"This malign conduct in turn threatens to infringe upon the sovereignty of the United States and undermines the critical national security and foreign policy work of the United States government and our allies, including Israel," Trump asserted.

The warrants issued by the ICC for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Security Minister Yoav Gallant followed months of deliberation by the court. The ICC issued these warrants for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by the top Israeli officials. Prosecutor Khan had also requested arrest warrants for martyred Palestinian Resistance leaders and Hamas Political Bureau chiefs Ismail Haniyeh and Yahya Sinwar, as well as al-Qassam Chief of Staff martyr Mohammad Deif. However, the Palestinian leaders were all martyred in battle or assassinated by Israeli occupation forces.