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Reuters

Member states of the International Criminal Court voted to dismiss prosecutor Karim Khan for serious misconduct, the ICC said on Friday.
Diplomats running ‌the executive bureau of the court’s governing body said last month the British barrister had an inappropriate sexual relationship with a junior ICC lawyer and should be fired, documents seen by Reuters showed. On Friday, a large majority of the ICC’s 125 member states voted to follow that recommendation.
“The assembly decided by a majority of 82 states parties that the elected official, prosecutor, Karim Khan, committed serious misconduct and a serious breach of duty … and to remove … Karim Khan from office,” the president of the court’s governing body, Paivi ⁠Kaukoranta, said.
Khan, 56, denies any wrongdoing.
“Mr Khan will challenge the lawfulness and fairness of the decision through all available legal mechanisms,” his lawyer, Tayab ‌Ali, said after the vote.
Khan’s dismissal immediately triggers the election process for a new ICC prosecutor who is not expected to be voted in before next year.

“Members of the court acted swiftly and decisively to remove an embattled ‌and discredited official so that the court can move forward with its important work in all the situations on ⁠its docket,” said Leila Sadat, ⁠professor of international criminal law at Washington University.
Khan’s dismissal follows an announcement by the US that it will launch a renewed diplomatic campaign to dismantle ‌the ICC, which it says is a threat to its sovereignty.
During a visit to the Philippines on Thursday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said there were “lunatics and crazies ‌involved in the ‌ICC” and there was no way any US political or military officials would ever go on trial at the court, reiterating previous criticism.
The ‌US, which is not a member, has imposed sanctions on 11 ICC judges and prosecutors, including Khan, citing the ICC’s arrest warrants against ⁠Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant, and a past probe into US troops in Afghanistan.
While removing Khan helps the ⁠ICC’s credibility by showing it has accountability for its own leadership, the court has more hurdles to overcome, said Kyra Wigard, assistant professor of law at Utrecht University.
“The bigger challenge going forward is whether the court can restore confidence internally and externally ‌while maintaining the perception of independence amid ‌intense geopolitical pressure,” she said.
Khan’s accuser spoke publicly for the first time last week in an interview with CNN in which she repeated her allegations that the prosecutor had a non-consensual sexual relationship with her.
Lawyers for Khan said he denied “any sexual relationship of any kind” with the junior lawyer.
Any active ICC warrants will remain in place because only ICC judges have the authority to withdraw warrants.


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ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan speaks during an interview in The Hague, Netherlands in January 2025. Photo: Reuters

The President of the Assembly of States Parties to the ICC, Paivi Kaukoranta, addresses delegates in New York on Friday before a vote on whether to fire chief prosecutor Karim Khan. Photo: Reuters

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The International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands. Photo: AP

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The International Criminal Court in The Hague, the Netherlands. Photo: AP

Japanese judge Tomoko Akane is the current president of the ICC. Photo: EPA-EFE

The ICC is a permanent international tribunal that prosecutes individuals accused of genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and the crime of aggression. Photo: EPA

The Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force’s Abukuma-class destroyer Sendai off the coast of Kanagawa prefecture in 2022. Photo: Kyodo

US President Donald Trump (right) walks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Anchorage, Alaska, in August 2025. Photo: TNS

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 International Criminal Court chief prosecutor Karim Khan. Photo: Reuters

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The UK barrister is accused of having a non-consensual sexual relationship with a junior lawyer working at the International Criminal Court


The UK barrister is accused of having a non-consensual sexual relationship with a junior lawyer working at the International Criminal Court.


ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan removed from post over sexual misconduct allegations

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The UK barrister is accused of having a non-consensual sexual relationship with a junior lawyer working at the International Criminal Court

The UK barrister is accused of having a non-consensual sexual relationship with a junior lawyer working at the International Criminal Court