Key Facts
Career & Education
About
Karim Asad Ahmad Khan, born on March 30, 1970, is a British barrister, judge, and jurist specializing in international criminal law and international human rights law. He holds a Bachelor of Laws, has studied and lectured on Islamic law, and has published extensively in international criminal justice and human rights. A Bencher of Lincoln's Inn and appointed Recorder, Khan has extensive experience across various tribunals, serving as prosecutor, victim's counsel, and defense lawyer in courts such as the International Criminal Court (ICC), International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, and International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia. Prior to his current role, he served as a prosecutor for the United Nations Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Da'esh/ISIL (UNITAD) in Iraq from 2018 to 2021, established under UN Security Council resolution 2379 (2017). Khan was elected as the Chief Prosecutor of the ICC on February 12, 2021, during the nineteenth session of the United Nations Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute in New York, succeeding Fatou Bensouda. In this position, based at the ICC's seat in The Hague, Netherlands, he has pursued high-profile cases, including seeking arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and others accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity related to the Gaza conflict.