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Jurist Karim Khan (2019 in Baghdad): Elected in the second ballot
Photo:
SABAH ARAR / AFP
Karim Khan from Great Britain becomes the new chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court.
The representatives of the 123 contracting states of the court elected the 50-year-old in New York after a lengthy decision-making process.
For the first time, the contracting states had not been able to agree on a candidate.
Most recently there were four candidates for election.
Khan was elected in the second ballot with 72 votes.
Irish lawyer Fergal Gaynor only got 54 votes.
The chief prosecutor will take office at a very critical time for the court.
It is under great political pressure over planned investigations into war crimes in Palestine and Afghanistan.
This would also allow lawsuits against military personnel from Israel or the USA.
Former US President Donald Trump had imposed sanctions on the prosecutors for possible investigations against US citizens.
However, a New York court prohibited this.
Khan started the race as the favorite.
He is currently leading the investigation into war crimes by the terrorist militia Islamic State (IS) in Iraq on behalf of the UN and has extensive experience in international criminal law as a prosecutor and as a defense attorney at the International Criminal Court.
Observers describe him as a "great lawyer" and a "terrifyingly clever master strategist".
Khan replaces 60-year-old chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda from Gambia, who is leaving office in June after nine years.
A chief prosecutor is only elected for one term.
The World Criminal Court based in The Hague prosecutes war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.
The USA, Israel, Russia and China do not recognize the court.
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hba / dpa