Khan made the remarks while discussing the sanctions and pressure campaigns he has faced since seeking arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in November 2024.
Khan said the threat came from twelve senators, in writing, before the current US administration took office.
He described the language used as a clear warning tied to consequences for his work.
He said he was the only official sanctioned for several months, until additional judges and deputies were sanctioned later in the year.
Khan connected the senators' warning to what followed, saying the court as a whole has since been targeted through coercive measures, including frozen bank accounts and travel restrictions that now prevent him from attending the Assembly of State Parties vote in New York on July 24.
In his words, Karim Khan said, "You see from public sources, even before the current administration took office, 12 senators wrote and they said, 'If you target Israel, we will target you and your family. You have been warned.'
That's almost a verbatim quotation. And so, one can say in this area at least, they are truthful and they've made good on their promises because the court as a whole has been targeted," he said.
Khan stressed that his decisions were based on evidence and law, applied equally to Israel, Russia, Afghanistan, and Myanmar, and were not motivated by bias or malice toward any party.
0 Comments