There are many stories about Karim Khan. The son of a Pakistani father and a British mother, he calls himself a victims’ advocate. But they also defend people like former Liberian President Charles Taylor, who has been accused of war crimes. They are in the headlines for pointing fingers at powerful leaders like Putin and Netanyahu.
Muslim-majority Libya has continuously criticized Karim Asad Ahmed Khan for why, as prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, he did not take action against Israel, which has wreaked havoc in Palestine. But now Karim Khan is trying to calm Libya by submitting a petition to the International Criminal Court demanding the arrest of three senior Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar, Ismail Haniyeh and Muhammad Dayef along with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Minister of Defense for war crimes and acts against humanity. So it was done, but because of that powerful countries like America and Israel became their enemies. His step created a state of confusion even among the member states of the International Criminal Court.
Khan was called to the Bar in 1992 to undergo the practical training required to become a barrister. In the middle of the interview the panel discussed the issue of Khan being Pakistani and British, saying that if he kept his name as Smith, he could gain an advantage. But he refused to change his name and left the interview .However, after practicing as a barrister for 28 years, he served as Queen’s Attorney and worked for victims in some of the biggest international criminal cases.
Put Putin in the dock
Very few people in the world will have the courage to go against Putin. When Karim Khan was elected prosecutor at the ICC, he announced that he would give priority to cases referred to the court by the UNSC. But right from the start, Khan showed he had a strong case for Russia by swiftly indicting Russian President Vladimir Putin and Children’s Rights Commissioner Maria Alekseevna Lavoba-Balova on charges of illegal deportation and illegal transfer of children from occupied territories to Ukraine. Intentions are something else.
Double inheritance
Karim Ahmed Khan was born on March 30, 1970 in Edinburgh. The father was a consultant dermatologist from Pakistan and the mother was a registered nurse from England. He himself belongs to the ‘Ahmadiyya Community’ minority. Khan was educated at the private school “Silcotes” (in the north of England). He then studied law at King’s College London. Khan is remarried to Malaysian lawyer Dato Shyamala Alejandra and has two sons. His first marriage was to Jasmine Rahman Mona, daughter of Mirza Tahir Ahmad, the fourth caliph of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community. Khan has one sister and two brothers.
A fanatical Muslim
Khan is considered a supporter of radical Muslim views. He also often uses the word “Inshallah” when quoting the Qur’an in public statements. Despite this, he was also criticized when he controversially acted as the defense attorney for Kenyan Vice President William Ruto, who was accused of crimes against humanity. Apart from that, he was also tasked with defending the former president of Liberia, Charles Taylor, who was accused of war crimes in Sierra Leone.
I consider myself a liberal
Khan considers himself “the tongue of the voiceless” or “the champion of the oppressed”. Because he represented victims of war crimes, crimes against humanity and other atrocities in Kenya, Sierra Leone and Cameroon and ensured that the victims received good compensation. In his early days he was involved in the genocide trials in Rwanda. He also founded the ‘Global Victims Initiative’ to help victims.
Karim Asad Ahmed Khan also wrote books
He has also authored and edited several books on international criminal law. His best-known books are ‘Integrity and Independence in Accountability’, ‘On Integrity in International Criminal Law’, while Archibald’s International Criminal Courts (Sweet and Maxwell), Principles of Evidence in International Criminal Law, A Commentary to the Rome Psal is He was a co-author of books such as the International Criminal Court, etc.
