On Friday, member states of the International Criminal Court voted to remove the court’s chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, due to accusations of sexual misconduct.
The decision to dismiss Khan followed shortly after his accuser publicly shared her experiences in an interview with USdaily’s Christiane Amanpour. Khan has refuted all claims against him.
This action also arrives amid increased scrutiny from Washington, which perceives the war crimes tribunal as a challenge to its sovereignty.
Päivi Kaukoranta, President of the Assembly of States, announced that 82 out of the 125 member states voted for Khan’s dismissal, asserting that he “engaged in serious misconduct and violated his duties.”
Khan intends to contest the ruling, with his attorney Tayab Ali stating that the decision lacked any legal or well-founded evidence of misconduct or duty violations by Mr. Khan KC.
Ali emphasized that Khan has consistently denied the accusations.
He claimed that Khan was not afforded a fair chance to present his case and mentioned that a UN Office of Internal Oversight Services investigation found no evidence of any misconduct, including sexual misconduct.
Kaukoranta responded that the assembly “fully honored” Khan’s due process rights and stated that the OIOS investigation did yield evidence supporting the misconduct allegations.
The secret ballot for Khan’s removal took place during a meeting at UN headquarters in New York on Friday afternoon, following the emergence of the allegations against him in 2024.
The allegations
For several months, the UN has been looking into accusations made by Sarah, who chose to use only her first name, asserting that Khan sexually harassed her and subjected her to non-consensual sexual acts, including groping, attempted kissing, and penetration.
Sarah, a junior staff member at the ICC who worked under Khan, recounted to Amanpour how his behavior left her feeling “humiliated.”
“(There was) the pawing, the physical nature of it – but it didn’t start that way. Because it was kind of like encroachments on the boundaries slowly – not just physically but emotionally as well,” she shared.
According to the investigation report, Khan, 56, cooperated fully with the UN’s inquiry.
In a prior interview with journalist Mehdi Hasan, Khan denied having any sexual relationship with the staff member, stating that he had informed UN investigators from the outset that he “completely denied engaging in any harassment, abuse of authority, or inappropriate behavior,” and emphasized his cooperation with the investigation.
The court’s supervisory body suspended Khan in June, pending the member states’ vote on Friday.
Norway’s Deputy Foreign Minister Andreas Kravik, whose nation supported Khan’s removal, remarked before the meeting that the prosecutor was “unfit” for the role. “The world, especially the victims of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity, needs an International Criminal Court that operates effectively,” he declared.
Khan and some of his supporters have suggested that the allegations are part of a campaign to tarnish his reputation following his efforts to issue warrants against Israeli officials for purported war crimes.
In May 2024, Khan sought arrest warrants for three senior Hamas leaders and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, along with former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, over allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity related to the attacks on October 7, 2023, and the ensuing conflict in Gaza. Israel, a non-member of the court, has dismissed the warrants and endorsed Khan’s dismissal, accusing him of conducting a witch hunt.
This timing has led to speculation, both internally within the ICC and externally, that Sarah’s allegations may have been part of a state-sponsored initiative by Israel to undermine Khan. However, Sarah has strongly refuted any claims of being a “state actor” for Israel.
Khan’s ousting occurs amid heightened scrutiny of the ICC, especially from the United States, which also welcomed his removal. The US has never been a member and has imposed sanctions against 11 ICC judges and prosecutors, including Khan, citing the court’s arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant, as well as a previous investigation into US military actions in Afghanistan, which the ICC states is deprioritized but remains open.
On Thursday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that there are “lunatics and crazies” within the ICC and asserted that no US officials would ever be tried there.
This story has been updated.
USdaily’s Lauren Kent contributed to this report.
