ICC is at a crossroads
The International Criminal Court (ICC) is facing significant pressure as the U.S. government threatens to dismantle the institution, while Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan faces sexual abuse allegations. These tensions have escalated following the ICC's pursuit of arrest warrants for leaders involved in the Gaza and Ukraine conflicts.
Why it matters
The potential collapse or delegitimization of the ICC would have massive implications for international law and global accountability for war crimes.
The world’s top criminal court located in The Hague, the International Criminal Court (ICC), is facing unprecedented existential crises from multiple fronts. Amid threats from U.S. administration to dismantle the court, the Chief Prosecutor of the court, Karim Khan, a British lawyer selected for the position in 2021, was removed from office last week, in connection with allegations of sexual abuse.
The allegations emerged in 2024, after Mr. Khan sought arrest warrants against Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, over alleged war crimes committed by Israel in Gaza since October 2023. The prosecutor also initiated investigations against Russian President Vladimir Putin for allegations of war crimes committed in Ukraine.
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