The International Criminal Court (ICC) voted to remove its chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, from his position on Friday. The decision by the court's 125 member states comes nearly two years after sexual misconduct allegations against Khan first surfaced. This marks the first time a chief prosecutor has been removed from the global tribunal.
Päivi Kaukoranta, president of the court's oversight body, the Assembly of States Parties, stated that Khan committed "serious misconduct and serious breach of duty." Khan, a British barrister, was accused of sexual misconduct with a female aide, allegations he has consistently denied. He was temporarily suspended from his duties in June pending Friday's vote after a report by the court's oversight committee found evidence of "serious misconduct." Documents indicate Khan engaged in a relationship with the woman and attempted to hinder her from pursuing her allegations, findings Khan disputes.
The vote to remove Khan occurred ahead of schedule after a motion by Sierra Leone, which would have made his ouster more difficult, failed. This process has occurred amid challenges for the court, including a stated campaign by the United States to "dismantle" the ICC. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced last week a "sweeping campaign to dismantle the threat posed by the International Criminal Court to US sovereignty," vowing to pressure member states to withdraw, sanction organizations working with the court, and ban staff from traveling to the U.S. Rubio stated that countries benefiting from U.S. security will be urged to reject the court's jurisdiction over U.S. citizens.
In response to the vote, Venezuela announced its withdrawal from the court, with Foreign Affairs Minister Félix Plasencia citing "demonstrated geographical bias" in the ICC's concentration of work on African and Latin American countries. Earlier this year, ICC prosecutors dropped an investigation into whether U.S. sanctions against Venezuela constituted crimes against humanity due to insufficient evidence, though a separate investigation into potential crimes by Venezuelan security forces under former President Nicolás Maduro is ongoing.
Khan and other ICC staff had previously issued arrest warrants for top Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, concerning the war in Gaza and investigations into U.S. personnel in Afghanistan. The Trump administration had imposed sanctions on Khan and other ICC staff in retaliation for these warrants. Israel's Ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, commented that Khan's attempt to pursue warrants against Israel was a "political witch hunt" to distract from the misconduct allegations against him. Experts noted that political considerations have become intertwined with the Gaza investigation, particularly as it involved warrants against a Western ally. Khan's removal does not affect the existing arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for crimes against humanity, as these can only be rescinded by ICC judges.