ICC prosecutor Karim Khan faces removal vote: What’s the case about?

What the report says

Al Jazeera, citing Reuters and The Associated Press, reports that the International Criminal Court’s 125 member states are meeting at the United Nations headquarters in New York on July 24 to decide whether to remove ICC prosecutor Karim Khan. The decision is to be made by secret ballot, with at least 63 member states needed to dismiss him. Khan has been suspended from official duties while the vote is pending.

The case centers on sexual misconduct allegations involving a junior colleague who worked as Khan’s direct assistant. The accuser, identified only as Sarah, has alleged harassment and unwanted touching in comments to CNN. Khan, 56, denies wrongdoing. His lawyer, Sareta Ashraph, told CNN that he denies any sexual contact or relationship with the complainant, whether consensual or not. Khan’s legal team has also challenged the process, arguing that his suspension was improper and that he should be allowed to respond before member states vote.

Al Jazeera reports that the ICC’s oversight body based the suspension on a UN investigative report, advice from an ad hoc panel of judicial experts and written submissions. Khan’s lawyers have pointed to a separate panel of independent judges that they say did not find evidence meeting the criminal standard of proof. If he is removed, the ICC would begin the process of choosing a new prosecutor, though Al Jazeera says a successor is not expected before next year.

The dispute is politically sensitive because Khan was overseeing major ICC investigations, including into alleged war crimes in Gaza. His 2024 pursuit of arrest warrants for Israeli leaders drew strong criticism from Israel and the United States, which imposed sanctions on him and other ICC officials. The accuser has rejected suggestions that her complaint is politically motivated.