ICC Prosecutor Details Threats and Sanctions by U.S. Senators and Pro-Israel Groups Over War Crimes Investigation
June 7, 2026Karim Khan, Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, says the threats, sanctions and intimidation directed at him are painful.
But he says this case was never about him.
“It’s not about us. It’s about the victims’ right to justice.”
In a rare and deeply personal interview, Khan described the pressure facing him, his family and the ICC after seeking arrest warrants for Israeli leaders over alleged war crimes.
His message was clear:
Justice cannot depend on who the accused are.
And international law cannot apply only to the weak.
For many observers, the controversy surrounding the case has exposed a troubling double standard.
The ICC is often praised when it investigates adversaries.
But when it investigates powerful states or their allies, it suddenly finds itself under attack.
Where are people supposed to live when even temporary shelter is taken away?
Because behind every confiscated tent is a family trying to survive.
And behind every displacement order is a human story that too often goes unheard.
Source: @analystnews_
#Palestine #WestBank #Gaza
English Script:
Karim Khan: You go against Israel, we will come after you and your family. You have been warned. Marco Rubio, Mitch McConnell, I mean, quite powerful individuals, wrote a public letter they wrote to me and they said, you have been warned. That’s how it ended. You have been warned. Yes. We have faced threats. I’ve been convicted by the Russian Federation, to a 15 year sentence for the audacity. They think of applying for warrants that judges independently gave in relation to the aggression against Ukraine. And president Trump has sanctioned me and my family, because of Palestine. You had your email disabled.
Interviewer: Your bank accounts are frozen. Is that still the case?
Karim Khan: Yes. I don’t have any credit card in the world. I mean, all those types of things, you know, travel bans, my children’s visas revoked.
Interviewer: What has your family got to do with it? Why have they targeted your family?
Karim Khan: Well, this is the question. I mean, even Magintsky sanctions for human rights violations don’t apply to family. But, as the senator said, you know, they would come after me and my family. They’ve done that. But again, this is painful. It’s difficult. It’s meant to coerce. It’s meant to make us change course. We can’t. And I think that’s a testament to the men and women of the office. That, it’s not about us. It’s about victims and their right to justice. They’re not worthless. They’re not numbers. They’re not abstract concepts. There are people that have lost their babies, their wives, their husbands, their grandparents.
Interviewer: Did you ever fear for your family or your life?
Karim Khan: What’s liberating is accepting mortality. You know, the cause of death is life. So once you accept that actually these things don’t become very important.
