26.07.2026 14:20
The Assembly of States Parties (ASP) of the International Criminal Court (ICC) removed Prosecutor Karim Khan from office following an investigation into sexual harassment allegations. In May 2024, Khan had requested an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) Assembly of States Parties (ASP) has removed Prosecutor Karim Khan from office, who was under investigation for sexual harassment.
82 MEMBERS CALLED FOR HIS REMOVAL
According to diplomatic sources, a secret ballot was held on the removal of ICC Prosecutor Khan during a special session at the United Nations (UN) Headquarters in New York.
In the resolution put to the vote, 82 of the ICC's 125 member states voted in favor of Khan's removal. While 13 countries opposed the removal decision, 15 member states abstained.
Under the Rome Statute, an absolute majority of 63 countries is required to remove the Prosecutor. Karim Khan became the first prosecutor to be removed since the ICC's establishment in 2002.
ALLEGATIONS AGAINST KARIM KHAN
Karim Khan had been in the spotlight for over two years due to allegations of sexual misconduct against him.
A staff member known publicly only as "Sarah," who worked as his direct assistant at the ICC, had alleged that Khan increasingly engaged in inappropriate contact with her.
Khan, through his lawyers, denied all allegations, stating that he had "no sexual contact of any kind, consensual or non-consensual" with the staff member.
HE HAD REQUESTED AN ARREST WARRANT FOR NETANYAHU
ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan voluntarily took leave in May 2025 after requesting arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in May 2024, following the emergence of sexual harassment allegations against him.
In March, an independent panel of three judges appointed by the ICC concluded that a UN investigation "found no misconduct or breach of duty" regarding Khan.
Despite the report from the independent panel of three judges, it was noted during a June 8 meeting of the ICC Assembly of States Parties Bureau that the Assembly, comprising the 125 states parties that established the court, would hold a special session on July 24 to determine the fate of Khan's position and would decide on disciplinary proceedings against Prosecutor Khan by a qualified majority.
CHARGE OF "GRAVE MISCONDUCT"
The ASP Bureau, the ICC's 21-member executive body, had decided in June that Khan had committed "grave misconduct" based on the investigation report from the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS), the opinion of a panel of independent jurists, and written submissions, temporarily suspending the prosecutor.
Khan's lawyers argued that he was not granted the right to defense and accreditation in today's vote, and that the process was conducted unlawfully, procedurally unfair, and unsupported by evidence.
Karim Khan was elected ICC Prosecutor in the second round of voting in February 2021 with 72 votes, and took office as the ICC's third prosecutor after being sworn in on June 16, 2021.
With the finalization of the removal decision, the process for electing a new prosecutor at the ICC will officially begin.