Karim Khan's Oxford address goes ahead despite feminist society protest

“To platform such a figure implies that the safety and support of survivors is a secondary concern,” the groups said.

They accused the union, a prestigious student-led debating society, of protecting alleged perpetrators of sexual violence and compromising “the welfare of the study body” with the invitation.

During his talk, which went ahead as planned and was his first public address since the investigation began, Khan said he could not address the claims of sexual harassment against him, “because of a strict confidentiality agreement”.

But he reiterated that judges have so far not found “any misconduct” against him in the case, which relates to his conduct between 2023 and 2024 toward a female lawyer who worked for him.

It was previously alleged by the Wall Street Journal that investigators linked to Qatar had sought to discredit the woman’s testimony.

The Journal also claimed to have evidence that indicates that the Gulf state promised to “look after” Khan as he weighed issuing warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant, which were subsequently filed on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity, though it is not clear what was meant by that comment.

When asked by the JC to respond to the claim about Qatar, Khan’s aide said he was not responding to further questions. He has not commented publicly on the Journal’s report.

During Khan’s talk, he praised United Nations special rapporteur for Palestine Francesca Albanese for her “remarkable and unfathomable belief that the law is for them”.

Oxford Feminist Society statement against the Karim Khan talk (Instagram)[Missing Credit]

Albanese has previously been accused of anti-Israel bias, including claiming that the October 7 attack was Hamas’ “reaction to Israel's oppression”. She has previously denied claims that she is biased, adding: “I reject all forms of racism, including antisemitism.”

In March, the British government called for an “urgent investigation” into Albanese over a “series of comments” which allegedly compromised the independence of her role.

Elsewhere during the Oxford event, Khan was challenged by the head of the union, who asked why Israeli leaders had not been charged with the crime of genocide.

He argued against a “hierarchy” of crime and claimed his team “did not give in to passion or clamour”.

In the subsequent question-and-answer session, Khan was asked about the perceived legal “equivalency” between Israel and Hamas, which was drawn after he moved to indict Israeli leaders Netanyahu and Gallant, and Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif and Ismail Haniyeh.

The lawyer denied drawing an equivalence - “legally I didn’t” - stating the judges had considered the applications on their merits.

“The West Bank and, of course, Gaza was particularly painful, but we also saw the suffering of those who were killed on October 7 in Israel,” he added, referring to the killing of Israeli baby Kfir Bibas and Hind Rajab, a six-year-old Palestinian.

“You condemn and mourn the passing of Jewish baby Kfir Bibas…. Then you see Hind Rijab, a five-year-old, her life snuffed. Kfir Bibas, his life snuffed in an instant. Who can applaud it? Those arguments are merely a cover,” he said.

When asked about participating states' decision to move to arrest individuals indicted by the court, Khan said those states will “be seen to co-operate fully, partially or not at all”.

Asked whether he would consider his tenure at the ICC to have failed if the arrests he requested are not made, Khan said the member states will be judged and not him.

In his speech, which lasted for more than 30 minutes,  Khan said he was driven by “a desire to serve” and that “anchors of stability have been upended”.

“It is a time of terror, a time of pain… for so many millions of our brothers and sisters and our children around the world,” he said.

He told the room: “You as the elites… will know that much rides up one now. We can no longer have the complacent to think that there is time.

“Be more engaged, be more involved, [and] don’t be demoralised by the state of the world,” He urged, “strain one’s sinews, act with resolve.

“We see in so many institutions an onslaught against the structures that were built by a generation that suffered almost Armageddon. We’ve seen that independent decisions are not universally welcomed.”

“We’re living in the 1930s. We need to defend our borders, defend our frontiers and our values,” he went on, adding that there was a “concerted effort to defund or erode” international organisations “that were built by a generation that suffered the Second World War”.

Khan also reiterated claims that he had been pressured by US and UK leaders to drop the request for the arrest warrants against Israeli leaders, including a phone call from former Prime Minister Lord Cameron and a letter from US senators.

He said he and his family had been threatened following his attempts to indict Israeli leaders.

The letter had also included "threats" to his family, he said, adding: “Sometimes these letters speak more of those who sent them than to those they address."

“My children, if they go to US their bank accounts will be closed."

But, despite the apparent threats, the prosecutor said he had never had a moment where he “considered stepping back”.

“Everybody has a different threshold,” he said, “We are meant to do the right thing.”