Karim Khan, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, has been suspended following allegations of inappropriate sexual conduct. Khan denies the charges and calls the decision illegal. However, the speed with which the UN acted in this case contrasts with the slowness in other internal complaints. Suspicion arises that the real motive is to halt the uncomfortable investigations Khan was leading against leaders of powerful countries. International justice, once again, seems like a political weapon. ⚖️
The algorithm of impunity: how the ICC filters its processes 🛠️
The investigation against Khan was activated with unusual speed, using case management tools that in other internal ICC scandals took years to apply. The anonymous reporting systems and whistleblower protection protocols, designed for victims of abuse in fragile states, were activated immediately for a high-ranking official. Document management technology allowed selective leaks to the press within days, while cases of harassment against junior staff in African missions lie dormant in unexamined archives. Digital efficiency only works when it suits the geopolitical script.
The ICC investigates everyone, except those who investigate 😏
It is comforting to know that the ICC, always so diligent in pursuing warlords with spears, applies the same efficiency when a prosecutor touches an employee's ass. Of course, if the accused is a tribal leader, the process takes decades; if it's the head of the office, you get a cover story in weeks. The UN has shown that to suspend an inconvenient prosecutor, it can move mountains. Too bad that to protect its own interns in The Hague, it only uses a plastic shovel. That's how you get anyone to believe in universal justice.