ICC Member States Vote to Dismiss Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan Over Rape Allegations
International Criminal Court member states have voted to dismiss Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan following allegations of sexual misconduct.
The vote to remove Khan comes days after his accuser went public in an interview with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour. Khan has denied all wrongdoing. It also comes amid renewed scrutiny of the war crimes court by Washington, which views the independent judicial body as a threat to United States sovereignty.
Assembly of States Parties President Päivi Kaukoranta stated that 82 of the court’s 125 member states voted in favor of the prosecutor’s removal, concluding that Khan “committed serious misconduct and a serious breach of duty”.
Khan will challenge the decision, his attorney Tayab Ali said in a statement following the vote, adding that it was “unsupported by any lawful or properly reasoned finding that Mr. Khan KC committed misconduct or breached his duties”.
“He has denied the allegations from the outset and continues to do so,” Ali wrote. Ali insisted that Khan was not given a fair opportunity to be heard and that an investigation by the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) did not find evidence of misconduct.
However, Kaukoranta maintained that the assembly “fully respected” Khan’s due process and that the OIOS investigation did yield evidence supporting the allegations.
The secret ballot to oust Khan took place at a meeting at UN headquarters in New York on Friday afternoon.
The UN investigation followed claims made by Khan’s accuser, Sarah (who requested to use only her first name), alleging that he sexually harassed her and subjected her to non-consensual sexual acts.
Sarah, an ICC junior staffer who worked directly under Khan, described how his actions 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 told CNN.
Khan, 56, cooperated with the UN investigation. In a prior interview, he denied having any sexual relationship with the staff member, stating he told UN investigators from his initial interviews that he “completely denied engaging in any harassment, abuse of authority, or inappropriate behavior whatsoever”.
The court’s oversight body suspended Khan in June pending Friday’s vote. Norway’s Deputy Foreign Minister Andreas Kravik, whose country supported the removal, stated prior to the vote that the prosecutor was "unfit" to serve: “The world, and not least the victims of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity, needs an International Criminal Court that functions effectively.”
Khan and several defenders have argued that the allegations were leveraged to damage his reputation following his pursuit of arrest warrants against Israeli officials for alleged war crimes. In May 2024, Khan sought arrest warrants for three top Hamas leaders as well as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
Israel, which is not an ICC member state, rejected the warrants and welcomed Khan’s removal, characterizing his tenure as a witch hunt. While the timing fueled speculation regarding external influence, Sarah strongly denied claims that she acted on behalf of any foreign government.
The dismissal arrives amid intense pressure from the United States government, which also welcomed the decision. The US is not an ICC member and previously imposed sanctions on 11 court officials—including Khan citing the warrants issued for Israeli leadership and an inquiry into US forces in Afghanistan.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio reiterated Washington's stance, stating that there were “lunatics and crazies” involved with the ICC and assuring that no US officials would ever face trial before the court.
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