ICC removes Karim Khan as sexual misconduct crisis deepens court turmoil

ICC member states voted to remove chief prosecutor Karim Khan over sexual misconduct allegations. The move deepens a leadership crisis as the court faces US pressure and Venezuela's exit.Image used for representational purposes onlySupporters of the International Criminal Court were trying to find a way forward on Saturday, a day after the court’s member states voted by a large majority to remove chief prosecutor Karim Khan over allegations of sexual misconduct.Khan’s removal comes at a difficult time for the ICC, which is already facing major pressure, including a United States campaign to “dismantle” the court. The decision also came hours before Venezuela announced it would withdraw from the ICC, saying the court’s work showed a “demonstrated geographical bias”.The lengthy and bruising process ended swiftly on Friday when the court’s 125 member states voted to oust Khan. The British barrister was accused of sexual misconduct with a female aide, allegations he has consistently denied. According to documents seen by AP, Khan engaged in a sexual relationship with the woman and tried to stop her from pursuing her allegations.According to three senior diplomatic officials familiar with the discussions, several countries where the ICC has open investigations met on the sidelines of Friday’s event to discuss ways to deal with any problems created by Khan’s removal. One of the officials said some states had begun planning how to proceed even before the final votes were counted. “Whether Khan is removed or not, we must bring everyone back together,” the official said. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak on the record. A special session at the UN headquarters in New York had been expected to last all day on Friday. Instead, according to three diplomats familiar with the proceedings, a morning motion that would have made it harder to remove Khan failed, and diplomats moved quickly to a vote several hours ahead of schedule. Iva Vukusic, a researcher at Utrecht University who has been following the process, said she was surprised by how clear the result was. “The numbers indicate that there is more agreement than previously thought,” she said.The court is also under pressure from Washington. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said last week that the US was launching a “sweeping campaign to dismantle the threat posed by the International Criminal Court to US sovereignty”. The Trump administration has already imposed sanctions on Khan and 12 other ICC staff members in response to investigations into Israeli officials in Gaza and US military personnel in Afghanistan. The allegations against Khan became tied to the court’s investigation into the war in Gaza, with his supporters arguing that the warrants issued for senior Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, were at stake. Palestinian representatives rejected that line. “The vote by the Assembly of States Parties to remove the Prosecutor was not a political proxy vote on any Situation before the ICC,” Palestinian Ambassador to the Netherlands Ammar Hijazi said in a statement. Khan’s removal will have no immediate effect on the arrest warrants, which can only be withdrawn by ICC judges.Khan’s two deputy prosecutors have been leading the office since he stepped down in May 2025. In a statement, the office of the prosecutor said the pair would continue with its “leadership, management and administration” until a new prosecutor is chosen. It is not yet clear when member states will decide on his replacement. Khan’s own election in 2021 took nearly 18 months and drew criticism from civil society groups over the lack of strict background checks to ensure candidates met the requirement of “high moral character”.The process may not end with Friday’s vote. Khan plans to “challenge the lawfulness and fairness of the decision through all available legal mechanisms,” his lawyer Tayab Ali said in a statement. There is no appeals process for his removal, but ICC staff can file complaints before a special labour tribunal in Geneva. Khan’s lawyers also criticised the process that led to his removal, saying he was prevented from addressing Friday’s session and arguing that the rules had been changed in a way that disadvantaged him.Lawyers and investigators will return to the court’s headquarters in The Hague on Monday with at least some clarity about what comes next. As the ICC deals with Khan’s removal, outside pressure and questions over leadership, its backers are trying to keep the court focused on its core work. “I hope now the court can move on and focus on its core work of dealing with cases,” Vukusic said.With PTI Inputs- EndsPublished By: India Today Web Desk Published On: Jul 25, 2026 16:10 IST