Members of the International Criminal Court (ICC) have voted to dismiss Karim Khan as chief prosecutor following allegations of sexual misconduct. The decision to remove Khan, who was elected as the ICC’s third prosecutor in 2021 and suspended last month, passed with 82 votes in favour during a Special Session of the Assembly of States Parties at the United Nations headquarters in New York.
Investigation Findings and Allegations
The court’s oversight body found in June that Khan had committed a serious breach of duty and serious misconduct
by engaging in an improper sexual relationship with a junior ICC staff member and seeking to stop her pursuing her complaint. The process began after allegations were reported to the ICC by a third party in May 2024, involving a female staff member. Although the court’s Independent Oversight Mechanism (IOM) initially opened an investigation, the case was closed after the alleged victim declined to participate, leading critics to argue the process was mishandled.
A second referral in October 2024 transferred the matter to the United Nations Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS). That broader investigation ran from November 2024 to December 2025, generating more than 5,000 pages of evidence and testimony. The OIOS findings were subsequently reviewed by a panel of three judges tasked with advising on the severity of the conduct. Khan, a prominent British lawyer who has been on voluntary leave since May 2025, has repeatedly denied all allegations against him.
Legal Challenges and Sanctions Context
Following the vote, Khan’s lawyer stated that he would challenge the lawfulness and fairness of the decision through all available legal mechanisms,
though it was not immediately clear what legal avenues remained open. Meanwhile, Khan remains suspended from practising law in the UK after the Bar Standards Board imposed an interim ban while conducting its own inquiry. He was unable to attend the vote in New York because he is barred from entering the United States under sanctions imposed by the Trump administration over the ICC’s investigation into alleged war crimes by Israeli officials in Gaza, which included seeking arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant.
Wider Stakes for the Permanent War-Crimes Tribunal
In a statement issued after the vote, the ICC stated that it “took noteof the decision made by the 125 member states and emphasized that the court
will continue to attach the utmost importance to maintaining a safe, inclusive, and respectful working environment for all personnel.” Observers note that the entire process extends far beyond a single prosecutor, potentially reshaping the world’s only permanent war-crimes tribunal. The misconduct investigation has placed the institution under intense scrutiny, heightened internal divisions, and coincided with an unprecedented campaign by the United States—which launched a whole-of-government
effort to dismantle the ICC brick by brick.
Supporters fear the court will emerge weakened and less capable of addressing grave global threats.
