ICC to replace chief prosecutor probing Israeli, US crimes
The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), who has been probing war crimes committed by the illegal Zionist entity, the US and their allies, is set to hand over office soon, amid reports of the Tel Aviv regime’s intense international lobbying for pressure on her over a recent jurisdiction-related ruling.
According to reports, on Friday, the ICC’s member states are set to elect a new chief prosecutor to take over from Fatou Bensouda, who has been investigating the Israeli military and officials and those of the United States and other countries for possible war crimes in Gaza, the Israeli-occupied territories, Afghanistan, and elsewhere.
Bensouda, born in Gambia, is slated to leave office in June after nine years in one of the most challenging jobs in the international justice system.
According to British media reports, member countries of the war crimes court will vote for one of the four candidates vying for the position, namely Britain’s Karim Khan, Carlos Castresana of Spain, Ireland’s Fergal Gaynor and Italy’s Francesco Lo Voi.
The voting session follows reports that the Israeli regime has launched a campaign to pile up the pressure on Bensouda after she ruled earlier this month that the ICC had jurisdiction to launch a criminal inquiry into the war crimes that have taken place in the blockaded Gaza Strip as well as the al-Quds.
The ruling set the stage for a full investigation following a five-year preliminary probe led by Bensouda into the situation in the state of Palestine, which said in December 2019 that there were “reasonable basis to believe that war crimes were committed” in Gaza and Occupied Palestinian.
The ICC’s recent verdict was condemned by the Zionists but praised by Palestinians and international rights organizations.
SOURCE: parstoday.com