Caribbean Netherlands: Ex-HRW chief says ICC warrants remain valid regardless of Karim Khan's fate.

SHOTLIST: NEW YORK, US (JULY 23, 2026) 1. FORMER HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH (HRW) EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR KENNETH ROTH SPEAKING TO CAMERA (English)NEW YORK, US - JULY 23, 2026: Former Human Rights Watch (HRW) Executive Director Kenneth Roth said that investigations conducted by the International Criminal Court (ICC), particularly those related to Palestine, and the arrest warrants issued as part of those investigations would remain unaffected even if ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan is removed over sexual misconduct allegations. Roth, now a visiting professor at Princeton University, told Anadolu on Wednesday that a vote to be held Friday in New York on whether Khan should remain in office would not affect the arrest warrants issued against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. He noted that the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute, representing the ICC's 125 member states, would meet on July 24 to vote on Khan's future, stressing that the final decision rests with member states. "On July 24, 125 member states will vote whether to follow the Executive Bureau's recommendation and definitively suspend Karim Khan because of sexual misconduct. This is the decision of the 125 governments," Roth said. "They are the body that ultimately determines the fate of the prosecutor," he added. Regarding the impact of the proceedings against Khan on the arrest warrants issued for Netanyahu and Gallant, Roth said the warrants had already been approved by the ICC's Pre-Trial Chamber. "So whatever is wrong with Karim Khan, it doesn't matter at this stage because the judges have found there's sufficient evidence to go forward," he said. "The charges are the product of the work of a broad number of ICC staff members, not just the prosecutor. So these charges will stand and they will be assessed by the judges," Roth added. He also said he believed Khan should be removed because he considered the complainant's allegations credible. He argued that the three-judge advisory panel's finding that misconduct had not been established did not amount to an acquittal, saying it resulted from the way UN investigators drafted their report. "It was not an acquittal, it was not an exoneration," Roth said, adding that the judges were unable to make their own factual findings because the UN investigators had not formally stated their conclusions despite presenting extensive evidence. - US, Israel may use Khan case to discredit ICC Roth stressed that the positions of US President Donald Trump's administration and Israel toward the ICC were entirely separate from the allegations against Khan. He nevertheless warned that Washington and Tel Aviv could seek to use Khan's possible removal to undermine the court's credibility. "Will Netanyahu and Trump come up with any excuse they can to try to secure impunity for themselves? Of course," Roth said. "These are lawless individuals," he added. - US sanctions against the court Roth also criticized sanctions imposed by the Trump administration on ICC prosecutors and judges, saying they amounted to obstruction of justice under Article 70 of the Rome Statute. "Trump would like to kill the court. It's not going to work," he said. "There are 125 members. They stand for the rule of law. They stand for justice for these terrible crimes, not the impunity that Trump wants." Roth said Washington had opposed the ICC since its creation, although its position softened after the court issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin. That shift, he said, ended after the court sought warrants against Israeli officials. He added that if Netanyahu believes he is innocent, he should appear before the ICC in The Hague and challenge the evidence, recalling that former Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta had successfully contested charges before the court. Roth said the ICC would survive despite pressure from the Trump administration because it continued to enjoy the support of its 125 member states, but added that the institution needed a credible new prosecutor to continue functioning effectively. - Allegations against Khan Karim Khan voluntarily stepped aside as ICC prosecutor in May 2025 after sexual misconduct allegations surfaced following his May 2024 request for arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. In March 2026, an independent panel of three judges appointed by the ICC concluded that a UN investigation had not established misconduct or abuse of office by Khan. Despite that finding, the Bureau of the Assembly of States Parties decided at its June 8 meeting to convene a special session on July 24, during which the ICC's 125 member states will decide, by qualified majority, whether disciplinary measures should be taken against Khan.