The International Criminal Court’s member states voted on Friday to remove chief prosecutor Karim Khan from office, nearly two years after sexual misconduct allegations against him first emerged. The decision makes Khan the first chief prosecutor in the court’s history to be removed.
The court’s oversight body, the Assembly of States Parties, said Khan had committed “serious misconduct and serious breach of duty”. Khan, a British barrister, has denied the allegations of sexual misconduct involving a female aide and has disputed the findings against him.
By a large majority, the ICC’s 125 member states voted to oust the 56-year-old prosecutor. Khan had already been temporarily relieved of his duties in June, pending Friday’s vote, after a report by the executive committee of the court’s oversight body found that he had committed “serious misconduct”. According to documents seen by AP, Khan engaged in a sexual relationship with the woman and tried to stop her from pursuing her allegations. Khan disputes those findings.
Early in the session, a motion brought by Sierra Leone that would have made it harder to remove Khan failed. Diplomats then moved quickly to the vote, several hours ahead of schedule, according to three diplomats familiar with the proceedings.
The process has divided human rights advocates, court staff and member states at a time when the ICC is also facing pressure from the United States. Last week, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington was launching a “sweeping campaign to dismantle the threat posed by the International Criminal Court to US sovereignty”. He said the US would press member states to leave the court, sanction organisations that work with it and bar staff from travelling to the United States. Countries that “enjoy the benefits of the U.S. security umbrella” would also be asked to reject the court’s jurisdiction over US citizens.
Hours after the vote, Venezuela said it would withdraw from the court. In a statement, Foreign Minister Felix Plasencia said, “Venezuela considers that the Court’s actions reflect a demonstrated geographical bias, which has disproportionately concentrated its work on African and Latin American countries, to the detriment of the Global South.” Earlier this year, ICC prosecutors said they were dropping an investigation into whether US sanctions on Venezuela amounted to crimes against humanity, citing a lack of evidence. A separate investigation into possible crimes by Venezuelan security forces under former president Nicolas Maduro will continue.
The Trump administration has already imposed sanctions on Khan and a dozen other ICC staff members over arrest warrants issued for senior Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, over the war in Gaza, and over investigations involving US personnel in Afghanistan. Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, said, “Karim Khan believed that by launching a political witch hunt against Israel and issuing a politically motivated arrest warrant against Prime Minister Netanyahu, the world would ignore the grave sexual misconduct allegations against him. He was wrong.” Experts said the allegations against Khan have become intertwined with the court’s investigation into the war in Gaza. Iva Vukusic, a researcher at Utrecht University following the process, told AP, “Political considerations have been folded into this, especially as it is the first time a prosecutor has pursued warrants against a Western ally.”
Khan’s removal will have no immediate effect on the arrest warrants issued in 2024 for Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant for crimes against humanity, as only ICC judges can withdraw them. The vote closes a long and difficult process for the court, which has removed its chief prosecutor while facing wider political pressure and internal divisions.
With PTI Inputs
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