ICC Deputy Khan: Staff Face Banking Hurdles as US Sanctions Approach

Nazhat Shameem Khan, the deputy prosecutor at the International Criminal Court, stated that staff members are already experiencing banking difficulties despite US sanctions not officially taking effect until six months from their announcement. Khan described the current situation as banks engaging in 'over-complying' to minimize risk while the scope of the new measures remains uncertain.

The US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, announced the sanctions on 9 October. He labeled the court a 'rogue court' and declared, 'Either the ICC will end its threats, or we will end the ICC.' Rubio granted the institution a six-month period to negotiate a solution. Khan said the court is working to insulate itself from Washington by switching software from Microsoft to European alternatives and renegotiating banking and health insurance contracts.

Khan insisted that the sanctions have not hindered the institution’s investigative output. She reported that the investigation into the Gaza war has made progress since November 2024, when arrest warrants were issued for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Galant. No further charges regarding Gaza have been announced since late 2024 because the court ruled that all charges must remain secret until judges approve public disclosure.

'Even if we reach a stage of the investigations where it might be imminent, we may not discuss it publicly,' Khan said. 'And so while there might be an appearance that nothing is happening, I can assure you that there's significant progress in that particular situation as well as others.' She noted that while the sanctions target the institution, individual staff members are feeling the impact on their personal finances.

Khan, who was among 13 ICC staff targeted by US sanctions in February 2025, described life without a credit card as inconvenient for travel and daily transactions. She contrasted this administrative friction with the needs of victims, stating, 'We see the faces of our victims for whom sanctions and credit cards are completely irrelevant. They just want justice.'

The court faces other internal pressures. Formal investigations began in late November 2024 into allegations of sexual harassment against former chief prosecutor Karim Khan. He was removed from his post in July 2026 following a vote by member states. Separately, the court’s pretrial chamber unsealed four arrest warrants this month against Taliban members on charges of gender persecution, a priority Khan said addresses offenses against women and girls.

The European Parliament awarded the ICC the Sakharov prize for freedom of thought on Thursday. Khan called the award an important message for staff. The ICC registrar is currently negotiating with the European Union to find ways to block the sanctions or protect the court’s operations.