The International Criminal Court (ICC) has voted to remove its Chief Prosecutor, Karim Khan, following an investigation that found him responsible for serious misconduct involving a junior staff member.
A total of 82 members voted in favour of dismissing Mr Khan, who was elected as the court’s third prosecutor in 2021.
The decision follows a finding by the ICC’s oversight body in June that Mr Khan had committed a “serious breach of duty and serious misconduct” by engaging in an improper sexual relationship with a junior staff member and attempting to prevent her from pursuing a complaint.
Mr Khan has consistently denied the allegations, while his lawyers have described the suspension and removal process as unlawful, procedurally unfair and unsupported by evidence.
The case followed a second referral in October 2024, after which the matter was transferred to the United Nations Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) for a broader investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct and abuse of authority.
The inquiry, which ran from November 2024 to December 2025, produced more than 5,000 pages of evidence and testimony.
A panel of three judges later reviewed the findings to determine whether Mr Khan’s conduct amounted to serious misconduct, less serious misconduct or no misconduct.
His removal comes at a particularly difficult time for the ICC, which has faced growing political pressure and internal divisions over its work.
The court came under further pressure after Mr Khan sought arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant over alleged crimes linked to the war in Gaza.
The United States subsequently imposed sanctions on Mr Khan and has adopted an increasingly hostile position towards the ICC.
Washington has also launched what it describes as a “whole-of-government” campaign aimed at dismantling the court, threatening measures including visa restrictions, asset freezes and diplomatic pressure on countries to withdraw from the ICC or reject its jurisdiction.
The United States, Russia and Israel are not parties to the ICC. However, the court can exercise jurisdiction over alleged crimes committed by nationals of non-member states on the territory of countries that are members of the court.
The dismissal of Mr Khan is therefore being viewed as more than a leadership change, with concerns that the controversy could further weaken the world’s only permanent tribunal established to prosecute war crimes and crimes against humanity.
