Prateek Tanmay
Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan talks before convening the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands. (Photo: AP) The International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, has been removed from office after the court’s governing body found he had committed serious misconduct linked to allegations of sexual abuse, The Guardian reported.
Member states voted on Friday to oust the British barrister, closing out a damaging episode that has hung over the court for two years since the allegations first surfaced.
Who is Karim Khan?
Khan is a British barrister who was elected in 2021 to a nine-year term leading the ICC’s prosecution division, the body responsible for investigating and bringing individuals accused of atrocities to trial.
During his time in office, his decisions to seek arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu raised the court’s global profile and drew it into confrontation with major powers. Those warrants, issued by ICC judges, remain unaffected by his removal.
How did the vote unfold
According to sources cited by The Guardian, 82 of the ICC’s 125 member states voted to remove Khan at a special session held at the UN’s headquarters in New York, following a long disciplinary process examining the abuse claims made by a woman who had worked for him at the court.
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Thirteen states voted against his removal, while 11 abstained, The Guardian reported. Diplomats made their decision after reviewing findings from the court’s executive committee, a fact-finding report by a UN watchdog, and a legal review carried out by a panel of judges.
What has Khan said in response
Khan has consistently denied all the allegations against him, which include claims of coercive and non-consensual sexual behaviour over an extended period. His lawyers have argued the disciplinary process was procedurally unfair, and his lawyer Tayab Ali said the removal decision lacked any lawful or properly reasoned basis.
Following the vote, Khan’s legal team said he intends to challenge the decision through every available legal route.
What did the complainant say?
The ICC’s governing body found no evidence to support claims that the woman behind the complaint was being used by outside parties, including intelligence agencies. Speaking to CNN’s Christiane Amanpour last week, she pushed back on suggestions she was acting as a “state agent,” saying, “My complaint was because of what happened to me, not for any other reason.” Danya Chaikel of the International Federation for Human Rights described the vote as recognition of the complainant’s courage in coming forward despite the risks involved.
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A second woman had separately accused Khan of mistreating her while she worked for him as an intern earlier in his career, telling The Guardian about the allegations last year. Khan’s lawyers have said he categorically denies mistreating or harassing anyone.
Khan’s removal comes as the court faces mounting external pressure, including from the United States. The Trump administration has sanctioned several ICC judges and prosecutors and recently vowed to disable the court’s ability to function. Court officials in The Hague reportedly do not expect that hostility to ease with a change in prosecutor.
With Khan having stepped aside last year pending the outcome of the disciplinary case, his two deputies have been overseeing the prosecution office in the meantime.Member states must now choose a new prosecutor, with some in the division favouring one of the current deputies and others pushing for a clean break after two years of turmoil.
With inputs from agencies
