The Bar Human Rights Committee of England & Wales yesterday made a formal written request to the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Karim Khan KC, asking him for a formal ‘preventative statement’ regarding the continuing escalation of the conflict in Israel and Palestine.
The Bar Human Rights Committee of England & Wales (‘BHRC’) on 13 October 2023 made a formal written request to the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (‘ICC’), Karim Khan KC to issue a “preventative statement”.
BHRC has asked the Office of the Prosecutor urgently to remind all parties to the conflict, as well as third party States, of their obligations under international law, and in particular their obligation to respect the fundamental international law principle of distinction between civilians and combatants.
The request is made in the context of Israel’s deeply concerning order that approximately 1.1 million Palestinians flee Northern Gaza within 24 hours, coupled with its continuing intentional deprivation of essential items to the territory. The International Committee of the Red Cross has declared Israel’s order to be incompatible with the rules of international humanitarian law, and the United Nations has called for it to be rescinded.
The letter is available here: BHRC – Letter to ICC October 2023.
