ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan Dismissed Over Abuse Allegations

Karim Khan, the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), has been dismissed from his post following a protracted affair involving allegations of sexual misconduct. The States Parties to the court, in a secret ballot held in New York, voted by a significant majority to remove Khan, attesting to "grave misconduct and a serious breach of his duties."

The decision comes after a two-year scandal that has cast a shadow over The Hague-based court and potentially damaged its international standing. Khan, a British jurist, has vehemently denied all accusations leveled against him by a former employee. These allegations, which first surfaced in 2024, led to Khan's suspension in June of this year while an investigation proceeded.

Khan's tenure as Chief Prosecutor, which began in 2021, included seeking an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in connection with alleged war crimes in the Gaza conflict. Israel's UN delegation reacted swiftly to Khan's dismissal, suggesting he "believed the world would ignore the serious allegations of sexual misconduct against him if he started a political witch hunt against Israel and issued a politically motivated arrest warrant against Prime Minister Netanyahu. He was wrong."

Khan himself had previously suggested that Israel might be behind the accusations to undermine his investigations. The ICC confirmed that deputy chief prosecutors will continue to lead the prosecutor's office, and Khan's departure is unlikely to affect the arrest warrant against Netanyahu. The search for Khan's successor has begun, with an appointment expected next year. An earlier UN commission report, which investigated the allegations, reportedly found evidence of "non-consensual sexual contact" but was later criticized for insufficient witness credibility assessment by a panel of judges.