YouSaid · the spoken record

Khan

lines on the record

485

first

1992-11-16

most recent

2023-11-08

sittings or episodes

38

sources

un-security-council

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

1. “That can be measured not by rhetoric or simple words, but by quantifiable indicators in terms of the number of witnesses who have been heard and the testimony that was given by heroic survivors and witnesses who had the opportunity of coming before the International Criminal Court to give their accounts. The trial of Mr. Abd-Al-Rahman, also known as Mr. Ali Kushayb, has made swift progress. Over the past eight months since the trial opened, over 78 sitting days 50 witnesses were heard before the International Criminal Court and, of course, a great deal of documentary evidence. Their testimony brought to life the harrowing accounts endured by victims and survivors that compelled the Security Council to refer the matter to the International Criminal Court almost 20 years ago.”

   2023-01-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9249 (2023) · source

2. “We have tried to discharge those responsibilities through increasingly focused investigations with deliberate and considered action. We can therefore rightly deserve the trust that the people of Darfur so generously express every time that one meets them in the Sudan, or anywhere else around the world, for that matter. In order to deliver on that promise, I set out in my previous report new benchmarks that would help to identify where we are and where we are going in terms of delivering on resolution 1593 (2005). I am pleased to report that we have made significant strides forward.”

   2023-01-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9249 (2023) · source

3. “Mr. Khan: It is a great pleasure to have the opportunity to once again brief the Security Council on the situation in Darfur. I also want to express my personal thanks to Ambassador Al-Harith Idriss Al-Harith Mohamed, Permanent Representative of the Sudan, for his presence today. I had the pleasure of sitting with him yesterday and having certain discussions in advance of today’s briefing. In my most recent briefing to the Council (see S/PV.9113) a few months ago, which I gave from Khartoum for the first time, I was quite candid regarding the expectations and hopes of the people of the Sudan. I identified their yearning for justice, and I mapped out a course that would hopefully help us, as an Office, and the international community to discharge our responsibilities to them.”

   2023-01-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9249 (2023) · source

4. “If we have that humility and that approach, hopefully we can make a difference in a way that is more positive and in line with the unanimous decision taken in resolution 1970 (2011) to refer the situation of Libya to the International Criminal Court. I remain open to building very strong partnerships with Libya, while respecting complementarity and actually showing that justice is not a talk shop, but that it can be felt by the people who need it the most.”

   2022-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9187 (2022) · source

5. “There is no binary choice between resolving constitutional issues and legality; in fact, legal measures may help that discussion, which is something for which we have to strive. I therefore simply call for a renewed partnership and the realization that politics is everywhere. We need to find the humanity in each of us — in States, civil society, in victims. Let us not be so collectively self-indulgent as to engage in the blame game. Let us look positively towards what we can do for the men and women of Libya who have suffered for far too long from things that they should not have suffered from at all.”

   2022-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9187 (2022) · source

6. “There were a couple of comments that are important in terms of slavery crimes. Human trafficking is very often a slavery crime, and I have appointed a special adviser on slavery, and in that regard, there is a convergence. Of course, as the representative of Libya said, this is not just happening in Libya. It is a global phenomenon. We have seen that Libya is being used as a transit point, but many Africans and people from other parts of the world are, it appears, subjected to torture, rape, sexual slavery and slavery elsewhere. We do need to consider more holistic ways to look into this crime because it is pernicious. Slavery, of course, is an erga omnes crime, and we have to make every effort to prioritize its investigation. I think the simple message is that the law can help ensure compliance with the law.”

   2022-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9187 (2022) · source

7. “I apologize, and we will look into what happened to make sure that members of the Council are not inconvenienced in future. In relation to resources, there was mention of the Trust Fund established by the Office, which has received €15 million for all situations. Some of the secondees have been deployed to the Libya situation, which is to say we do not have an obsession with any particular situation. I think what we are committed to is trying to discharge our responsibilities in so many parts of the world where politics seems to get in the way of peoples’ rights to live in peace and security and without terror, and to ensure justice for the lady whom I mentioned who wants to know where her son is, and for the father who wants to be at home without continuous trauma triggering responses.”

   2022-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9187 (2022) · source

8. “But we simply see in so many theatres — including in Libya — that sometimes political or diplomatic initiatives or even military or economic interventions do not usher in a new dawn of tranquility. But we do not give up. We do not get disheartened. We keep on showing focus and determination to bend the arc of human progress towards legality, justice and progress. And I think that is something to bear in mind when assessing the role of the International Criminal Court. I apologize in relation to two or three comments regarding the report. In fact, it was transmitted by my Office to Headquarters on 1 November, that is, within the stipulated time frame. Of course, there appeared to be some difficulties in circulating the report from New York, and we will look into that.”

   2022-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9187 (2022) · source

9. “Mr. Khan: I would indeed like to say a few words. In relation to the comment from the representative of Mexico, I would like to thank him for the support he expressed for the International Criminal Court, and we wish him well, as he referenced that this is the last Security Council briefing in relation to the Court at which Mexico will be present as a Council member. At least a couple of representatives mentioned the current situation, and I am the first to accept that resolution 1970 (2011) did not have a transformative effect. I wish it were so easy that all it took was a Security Council resolution to usher in peace and security. Of course, we will never know how much worse things could have been, but for the Council’s response and the referral.”

   2022-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9187 (2022) · source

10. “If we are willing to forge new partnerships, look at new ways of working together and coalesce around human values — not just legal norms, but those legal norms emerge and spring from those human values — I believe that we can do much better in delivering justice for the people of Libya. Hopefully, that will assist in bringing about a wider hope for sustainable peace in this very ancient and wonderful land.”

    2022-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9187 (2022) · source

11. “The only words that could emerge from my lips were the words of the prayer from the Qur’an that Muslims say: “We belong to Allah, and to Him we shall return.” (The Holy Qur’an, II:156) That really shows what justice is about. It is really not about power. It is not about the powerful. It is about those who just want to have the very basics, to live in peace and, when they have suffered loss, to know what happened and to have a modicum of justice because their loved ones’ lives mattered like the world to them. While there is a lack of belief in the delivery of justice and the possibility of peace, I also emphasize that that is not an impossible mission.”

    2022-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9187 (2022) · source

12. “I think that it is right that, in conclusion, I return, if I may, to that poignant room in Tarhouna, with the victims sitting around a table. There was a woman who spoke at the end. After many other women had left, she stayed right to the end, and, in a very moving way, with poise, but with the tears that perhaps only a mother or a parent can shed, she said, “I accept the will of God. My son has gone. I can accept that, but I just want to know what happened and where he is so that I can bury him.” At that moment, what can one say to a mother? It was not the place for glib sound bites or some kind of pithy response; I simply paused.”

    2022-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9187 (2022) · source

13. “I applied the common principle that I was refocusing the work of the Office in Libya, that we were trying to have a greater impact to make sure that we could move forward with some purpose, that, whether one was from the east, the west, the north or the south of Libya, and whether one was a military commander or a civilian superior, there was an absolute prohibition on committing crimes within the jurisdiction of the Court and that there was a fundamental obligation, which had reverberated since Nuremberg, that military commanders and military superiors had to prevent, repress and punish crimes when they emerged. There is absolute clarity on that point, and we expect cooperation, not as a favour, but pursuant to the plain terms of resolution 1970 (2011), so that we can advance our mandate.”

    2022-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9187 (2022) · source

14. “During the past few days, the meetings that I had with the Office of the Attorney General, with the military prosecutor and with the Minister of Justice also focused on trying to build complementarity and the obligation to work better so that we can achieve, not for the sake of the reputation of the Office of the Prosecutor or the obligations of Libya, pursuant to the resolution, but for the people — for the men, women and children of Libya, who deserve nothing less. Yesterday I also met with those in the east. I met with the military prosecutor in Benghazi, as well as Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar. There I was crystal clear. I made it clear that we had received evidence and information regarding allegations of crimes committed by Libyan National Army troops. I said that those allegations would be, and are being, investigated.”

    2022-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9187 (2022) · source

15. “Next week, Libyan civil-society members will join experts and civil society from around the world during a thematic round table that we will hold in The Hague regarding crimes against and affecting children. I think that it is only right to underline the importance of partnership, particularly the work of His Excellency Mr. Mohamed Younis Menfi, President of the Presidential Council, because, without his leadership, direction and unclogging of blocks, I would not be here in Libya today giving this briefing to the Security Council. The cooperation is not perfect. We itemized areas of difficulty. I had candid discussions with the authorities here in Libya, but I think that, with candour, we can collectively move things forward.”

    2022-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9187 (2022) · source

16. “But there will be further applications that we will make because the victims want to see action and the evidence is available. It is our challenge to make sure that we have the resources be prioritized for the Libya situation to ensure that we can vindicate the promise of the Security Council in resolution 1970 (2011). In my respectful view, that approach represents a new paradigm for action by my Office. The increased momentum that may be apparent in the report is not because of the activities of the Office acting in isolation. Libya is a key stakeholder. We are in Libya. This country is owned by Libya. The overwhelming crimes are against Libyans. The partnership that we are trying to refocus, build and foster is absolutely pivotal if we are to move things forward. Tomorrow I will meet with civil society from different parts of Libya.”

    2022-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9187 (2022) · source

17. “That shows consistency with what I have repeatedly said with regard to the fact that, in my view, the International Criminal Court is not an apex court. It is a hub, and we need to work together to ensure that there is less space for impunity and greater efforts towards accountability. In April, I also put forward various benchmarks, including a bid for accelerated action, having solid investigations and, where appropriate, submitting applications for warrants based on solid evidence. Today I can announce that further applications for warrants of arrest were submitted to the independent judges of the ICC. They were submitted confidentially. It is for the judges of the ICC to determine. I therefore cannot speak at greater length and give greater details.”

    2022-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9187 (2022) · source

18. “I think that that was a very important step, along with the wonderful work of Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, as well as the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation. That partnership is not cosmetic. It is not simply to tick a box and say that we are building partnerships. It has already managed to pay dividends because, only a couple of weeks ago, in October, that joint investigative team allowed very key individuals to be transferred from Ethiopia to domestic courts of Italy and the Kingdom of the Netherlands in relation to the smuggling of people. Of course, allegations that encompass torture and slavery in general terms can now be determined by domestic courts.”

    2022-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9187 (2022) · source

19. “That is in large part because of the partnerships that we are seeking to build. For the first time since 2011, I can report a regular presence by staff of my Office in the region. In the latest reporting period, I can announce that there were 20 missions to six countries, in which a variety of evidentiary material was collected, whether it be satellite, witness statement or audio evidence. The promise of greater engagement also manifested itself in various ways, including in June, when the Deputy Prosecutor, Ms. Nazhat Shameem Khan, came to Libya and met with Government officials, as well as civil society both in The Hague and in Tunis, and also elsewhere. In September, we joined a joint investigative team in relation to human trafficking.”

    2022-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9187 (2022) · source

20. “And they want allegations to be juridically determined by independent and impartial judges. I understand those frustrations, and I have a great deal of sympathy with them. That is why, in my most recent briefing in April (see S/PV.9024), I highlighted a new road map that would hopefully provide greater results and greater transparency in our work. We cannot allow the sentiment that impunity is inevitable to become pervasive. In April, I talked about increased resources for the Libya team. I talked about an increased field presence and a dynamic approach to investigations to ensure that we had every chance of putting forward, with a degree of transparency, measurable objectives. I am pleased to report that, as set out in the report that Council members have, we have made good progress in implementing that new approach.”

    2022-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9187 (2022) · source

21. “What is the international community doing, and what is the ICC doing? We talk about justice, but we do not see and do not feel it. One survivor said: “we keep hearing about justice, we keep hearing about the ICC. Where are the results? We need these promises to be turned into reality”. I think those sentiments are absolutely fair, as 2011 is a long time ago. The types of suffering are expanding, and we need to make sure that we are seen to be relevant. That message is not confined to Tarhouna. I have heard similar messages from victims from all parts of Libya. The team has also been involved with investigations. Whether one is from Tripoli, Benghazi, Misrata or elsewhere, those stories resonate with ever- greater force. Victims want the truth to emerge. They want their voices to be heard.”

    2022-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9187 (2022) · source

22. “A mother gave a compelling account, with the quiet dignity that is very often part of the Libyan character, that she had witnessed individuals break in and take her sons from her. She has not seen her sons since. There was a father who, very simply and all the more powerfully for that, stated that he could not bear to live in his own home because his children were born in that home. The effect of that loss makes it such that the home triggers trauma on a daily basis. That is the type of heartbreak and suffering expressed to us by survivors. That is why the Council’s referral of the Libyan situation to the Office of the Prosecutor and the work and collective obligation to deliver on justice is not some abstract idea. It really matters a very great deal. There is fatigue in Libya. There is a sentiment that we have heard it all before.”

    2022-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9187 (2022) · source

23. “I emphasized to the Attorney General’s Office, to the Minister of Justice and to the forensic science service that we, as the Office of the Prosecutor, are willing to work as partners and to provide further technical assistance and support to the forensic capacity in Libya. Nevertheless, I must say that I have been impressed with the effort and the focus of work the forensic team has done. But the task is so great that assistance is certainly needed. From the Tarhouna landfill site, I went to another location, and I spoke to victims, survivors. Around the table were assembled heartbreak after heartbreak. One man had lost 24 members, I believe, of his family. Another had lost 15.”

    2022-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9187 (2022) · source

24. “From there, I took the same road to where some of those poor souls were executed — to farms that became mass graves and to refuse tips, and landfill sites, in which bodies were thrown without ceremony. I think it is only right to applaud the truly courageous work of the Libyan forensic experts, because in those deep tips, along with the plastic and every waste product known to humankind, along with the dead dogs and dead goats that we saw, they had an extremely difficult technical task of clearing away mounds of rubbish in order to find the individuals who had been thrown in. This was as a result, it seems, of crimes within the Court’s jurisdiction. So far, 250 bodies have been recovered, and far fewer have been identified.”

    2022-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9187 (2022) · source

25. “My experiences over these past few days have reinforced something that has been clear for a while — that we need to do better and be more relevant, that justice cannot be merely a value or an idea. Instead, it needs to be felt by the people of Libya. We have seen victims of detention from all parts of Libya — Benghazi, Derna, Tajoura, Murzuq and Tawergha. Just two days ago, I went a couple of hours’ drive from Tripoli to a place called Tarhouna. There, I saw a miserable sight — metal boxes, almost like a workstation. We have accounts of people who were forced to enter those boxes backwards and were kept in absolutely appalling conditions that, by any metric, amounted to calculated inhumanity.”

    2022-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9187 (2022) · source

26. “Mr. Khan: I thank you, Madam President, for the opportunity of briefing the Security Council today. I also wish to express my deep appreciation to the Permanent Representative of Libya, Ambassador Taher Elsonni, for being present at today’s meeting. Today is important because it is the first time that a Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) has addressed the Council from the soil of Libya. It is also the first time that an ICC Prosecutor has been to Libya in a decade. I am very grateful for the support of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), and I thank the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Mr. Abdoulaye Bathily, for his wonderful hospitality and support during this Human Rights Council fact-finding mission.”

    2022-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9187 (2022) · source

27. “Pakistan will continue its endeavours to build peace and normalcy in Afghanistan within the format of Afghanistan’s six immediate neighbours plus Russia, within the OIC, with UNAMA, with the European Union and with other friendly countries.”

    2022-09-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9137 (2022) · source

28. “The much-maligned Doha agreement and the resolutions adopted by the Security Council itself since then contain elements that can provide such a road map towards normalcy in Afghanistan. Pakistan is hopeful that the new Special Representative of the Secretary-General will continue to maintain UNAMA’s constructive engagement with the interim Government and find practical solutions to deal with the challenges that we face in Afghanistan. For lasting peace and security in Afghanistan, sustained engagement remains the only practical way forward. To this end, we hope that the travel-ban exemptions will be reinstated forthwith.”

    2022-09-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9137 (2022) · source

29. “We will support all sincere efforts to neutralize and eliminate these terrorist groups, while fully respecting Afghanistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. The role of spoilers who wish to aid and abet terrorism against Pakistan from Afghan soil must also be checked, and the terrorist networks they have established must be dismantled in Afghanistan and the region. Similarly, counter-narcotics efforts by the Taliban are at risk of getting reversed in the absence of alternative means of supporting livelihoods. Pakistan believes that the Security Council, the international community and UNAMA must develop a workable road map to advance the objectives they seek: human rights, inclusiveness and counter-terrorism.”

    2022-09-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9137 (2022) · source

30. “The recent rise in high-profile targeted killings and bombings, including against the Russian embassy, is a cause for special concern. Should we fail to provide the Afghan people and the authorities in Kabul with necessary and ongoing long-term economic solutions, there is a risk that anti-Taliban groups, particularly Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant-Khorasan (ISIL-K), will gain further strength in the country. We expect the Taliban to prevent Afghanistan’s territory from being utilized for terrorism against neighbours or any other country. In particular, eliminating the threat posed by ISIL-K, that is, Da’esh, Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, the Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, as well as Al- Qaida and other terrorist groups, is of vital importance for Pakistan.”

    2022-09-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9137 (2022) · source

31. “We are hopeful that progress can be made through this process if it is done with patience and persistence. Meanwhile, of the 4 million Afghans in refugee camps in Pakistan, all the girls are going to school and colleges, and we know that many Afghans are sending their daughters to attend school in Pakistan. As noted in the Secretary-General’s report, the efforts by the interim Afghan Government to encourage the return of former Afghan officials to the country and the announcement of a general amnesty are elements that should be built upon in order to promote the goal of greater inclusiveness in the governance of Afghanistan. For Pakistan and for most of the international community, a most serious concern is terrorism emanating from and happening within Afghanistan.”

    2022-09-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9137 (2022) · source

32. “Afghanistan’s frozen national reserves should be released and channelled through Afghan institutions that can contribute to reviving the Afghan economy and its banking system. Without this, neither can trade take place effectively, nor can investment be expected. In the absence of such conditions, Afghanistan shall continue to remain on external life support and be in constant danger of economic collapse. On human rights and girls’ education, the countries of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), including Pakistan, remain engaged through conversations between the Taliban and delegations of Islamic scholars in Ulama for finding ways and means to address the questions of sharia law and its interpretation, particularly with a view to facilitating educational prospects for Afghan women and girls.”

    2022-09-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9137 (2022) · source

33. “Pakistan urges the international community to respond in a positive way to the Secretary-General’s appeal for $4.2 billion in humanitarian and economic assistance to Afghanistan and to release Afghanistan financial reserves, which are essential to reviving its banking system. As reported by the Secretary-General (S/2022/692), there remains a shortfall of $2.59 billion in the humanitarian response plan he presented. The early resumption of reconstruction activities and implementation of regional connectivity projects with Central Asia that are shovel-ready, as well as the extension of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor to Afghanistan, can provide a pathway to economic growth and stabilization in the country. However, that requires funds and financial stability.”

    2022-09-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9137 (2022) · source

34. “Some 95 per cent of the 30 million Afghans are living in virtual destitution, without a functioning economy or banking system that would allow ordinary Afghans to make a living or be able to have a better future. Pakistan would like to see in Afghanistan a country that is at peace with itself and the world and that respects and nurtures all its citizens without regard to gender, ethnicity and religion. A peaceful, prosperous and connected Afghanistan is in our collective interest. As a neighbour, Pakistan has a vital stake in peace and stability in Afghanistan. We have led the humanitarian efforts to help our Afghan brothers and sisters in their present situation. We must avoid another civil war, rising terrorism, drug trafficking or new refugees that none of Afghanistan’s neighbours are in a position to accommodate.”

    2022-09-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9137 (2022) · source

35. “The delegation of Pakistan congratulates you, Madam President, and the French delegation, for a very successful presidency of the Security Council during this month. We are also grateful to you, Madam, for convening this discussion and wish to thank Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General Potzel, Ms. Waly and Ms. Koofi for the briefings we have had today. I would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate Ms. Roza Otunbayeva of Kyrgyzstan on her appointment as the new Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Afghanistan and Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA). Afghanistan today presents a unique challenge.”

    2022-09-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9137 (2022) · source

36. “Today all I can do is renew my commitment to my obligations and my oath as Prosecutor of the ICC to do everything I can in order to engage with all international partner States, the United Nations and other international organizations to investigate cases within our jurisdiction in Ukraine and beyond. The responsibilities that I hold and the much more powerful, relevant and wider responsibilities that world leaders hold, demand no less than us meeting the challenges of today. We must demonstrate the resolve and the determination and the principle in order not to disappoint and fail those who, as we speak, are most in need of the rule of law.”

    2022-09-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9135 (2022) · source

37. “It is a vindication of the fundamental rights of all members of humankind, and it is a demonstration of promises that underpin the Charter and the Rome Statute. The echoes of Nuremberg can be heard today. The failure to uphold the promises of Nuremberg, which we have seen over the past many decades, should be a reproach on all of us. But leaders, do not despair or give way to despondency, but act as a catalyst for further action, to regalvanize us as a Council, as international organizations and as humankind, to finally — for goodness sake — come of age and plant more firmly the flag of legality on the international landscape.”

    2022-09-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9135 (2022) · source

38. “I am deeply concerned about the allegations and information we are seeing regarding what appear to be reasonable grounds to believe that civilian objects were intentionally targeted and that populations from Ukraine, particularly children, were transferred out of the country. Those are priorities that we are focusing on. But our task, collectively, is to ensure that those responsible for any crimes committed, for any decisions that judges of the ICC may make, realize today, in real time, that they are masters of their own destiny. They have the choice, and indeed the unambiguous responsibility, to act proportionately, to honour the principle of distinction and to take all the means necessary to make sure that civilians and civilian objects are not targeted. Justice, as I have said, is not political.”

    2022-09-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9135 (2022) · source

39. “And the picture that I have seen thus far is troubling indeed. I have been to Ukraine three times, and I have seen a variety of destruction, suffering and harm, all of which strengthens my determination and my previous finding that there are reasonable grounds to believe that crimes within the jurisdiction of the Court have been committed. If I may be quite direct, when I went to Bucha and went behind the Church of Saint Andrew, the bodies I saw were not fake. When I walked the streets of Borodyanka, the destruction I saw of buildings and schools was all too real. And when I left Kharkiv, the bombs I heard gave a very small and sombre glimpse into the awful reality that is faced by many of our brothers and sisters and children that are in a war zone.”

    2022-09-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9135 (2022) · source

40. “It is critical in order to pierce the fog of war so as to actually present the truth in a juridical forum. Luckily, we have independent judges, and when we have done our job, we will in due course present our evidence to the independent judges of the ICC, and they will further scrutinize our work very properly and decide where the truth lies. That exercise is essential if we are to have confidence in the rules-based system. This function, and this alone, is the focus of my Office. It is not a tool for politics, and it is not driven by any other agenda than our obligations, which are well articulated in the Rome Statute and are underpinned with great eloquence in the Charter of the United Nations, which created this organ that I have the privilege to sit in today. Through that work, a picture will emerge.”

    2022-09-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9135 (2022) · source

41. “In May, we made the largest field deployment that the ICC has seen. And since May, we have had a permanent field presence in Ukraine. I can announce that next week additional members of my Office will also deploy to Ukraine in order to look into allegations emerging from the east of the country. Building partnerships and embracing innovation takes many forms, including new engagements with States, international organizations and the private sector. Hopefully, this new model of a more coordinated and effective partnership, with a more coherent approach for action, will render that collective work more effective. But the process of accountability, of collecting evidence, sifting it, weighing it and determining what it shown, is not simply an academic exercise.”

    2022-09-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9135 (2022) · source

42. “Since the beginning of the recent developments in Ukraine in late February, I have sought to ensure that the response from my Office meets the imperatives of action and focus. In the five days between 25 February, when I made my initial statement, and 2 March, when I opened the investigation, we moved with some purpose. And the fact that 43 State parties to the Rome Statute, one third of the Assembly, referred the matter to the Court signifies not only the nature of the crisis and the concern expressed but also, I believe, an understanding that the law has an important role to play. We are now at the stage of continuing forensic, objective and impartial — sometimes very painstaking — work to grapple with the facts, to separate truth from fiction and to build a picture of what actually happened.”

    2022-09-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9135 (2022) · source

43. “We must demonstrate in every location where violations are alleged, and where the Court has jurisdiction, that in any conflict there are responsibilities. Anybody who picks up a gun or who fires a missile must realize that the law is alive, and not in slumber, and that accountability is absolutely essential. That requires determined action. It requires us to renew our pledge, made at Nuremberg, that there is no statute of limitation for war crimes and to march forward together. I am convinced that, if we coalesce around such basic principles of humanity and those basic norms of conduct, the law can play an increasingly impactful role as an anchor towards peace and security in Ukraine, as well as in many other parts of the world.”

    2022-09-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9135 (2022) · source

44. “Mr. Khan: It is a great privilege to have the opportunity to address a few words to the Security Council. This is a moment where we must collectively demonstrate by action, not words, that the law has meaning. It is critical that the law be seen to be on the front line, protecting those most at need. As we speak, in Ukraine and in many other parts of the world the most vulnerable deserve our attention. Children, women and men suffer in agony and insecurity, and the law is looked to for real meaning and for accountability. But that potential, which I am convinced is latent in the law, can be achieved only by collective action. It requires a determined focus, not only by my Office and the International Criminal Court (ICC), but also by all Council members.”

    2022-09-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9135 (2022) · source

45. “Contrary to the assertion made to Council members just now that we are somehow a single-issue Office, my presence here today and the Deputy Prosecutor’s recent return from Libya provide an ample riposte that that is patently untrue. I am very grateful for the representative’s kind remarks about the wisdom of my late father. Perhaps I can mention another pearl of his wisdom, which was that when one has jaundice, everything seems yellow. I can only pray that any of us, either in the Security Council Chamber or here in the Sudan, including myself, who have jaundice may be cured of that affliction as soon as possible.”

    2022-08-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9113 (2022) · source

46. “Andrey Denisov, the representative of the Russian Federation, would have thought today, but when resolution 1593 (2005) was adopted, he said that “[t]he members of the Security Council have frequently reaffirmed that the struggle against impunity is one of the most important elements of a long-term political settlement in Darfur … All who are guilty of gross violations of human rights in Darfur must be duly punished, as is rightly pointed out in the report of the International Commission of Inquiry … We believe that the resolution adopted today … will contribute to an effective solution in the fight against impunity” (S/PV.5158, p. 10).”

    2022-08-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9113 (2022) · source

47. “Thirdly, with the greatest humility and respect, but with a degree of candour, I would urge the representative of the Russian Federation not to see the whole world through the lens of the activities and conflagration in Ukraine. The people of Darfur deserve a few minutes of focus on their own suffering, which they have endured for 17 years. I cannot guess what Mr.”

    2022-08-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9113 (2022) · source

48. “The Sudan requested that I delay my planned mission here last month out of respect for the Muslim festival of Eid Al-Adha. I complied with that request in a spirit of brotherly respect for the independence and sovereignty of the Sudan. So there was no delay. Secondly, I am the first to agree that when one surveys the international legal landscape, it has been peppered with double standards, contradictions and imperfections — before colonialism, during colonialism and today. However, as the judge from Russia who sat in Tokyo and Nuremberg clearly identified, tu quoque, you too, is not a defence in international crimes.”

    2022-08-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9113 (2022) · source

49. “Mr. Khan: I would like to thank the Permanent Representative of the Sudan for his attendance and comments. I can only reiterate that within the parameters of the Rome Statute, which includes the principle of complementarity but beyond that the imperative of justice, we are willing to engage and look at imaginative ways forward in order to advance the situation in the Sudan. With regard to the remarks by the representative of the Russian Federation, I can clarify a few points. First, contrary to the fallacious assertion that the report that I presented was late, I should reiterate that we delayed the submission of the report at the request of the Sudan and with the full knowledge of the Security Council Affairs Division and the Council itself.”

    2022-08-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9113 (2022) · source

50. “I have been as transparent and clear as possible with the senior members of the Government with whom I have had the opportunity to meet. I would like the Sudan to succeed. I think we all do. I have made it clear what I expect, and I remain ready to engage with the Sudan, its people and the Darfuri people in every way possible. However, the only thing upon which I must insist is what the Council has required and what the victims demand, which is justice. I believe that, if we recommit ourselves and insist upon cooperation and build trust, hopefully, we can vindicate fully the decision of the Council to refer the matter in the first place. I again thank the Council for the opportunity to address it today.”

    2022-08-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9113 (2022) · source