Removal Vote at UN Headquarters
The International Criminal Court's Assembly of States Parties voted on Friday to remove chief prosecutor Karim Khan from office. According to multiple sources, 82 of the 125 member states voted in favor of removal, with 13 against and 11 abstaining. The vote took place at a special meeting at the United Nations headquarters in New York. Khan was unable to attend because he is barred from entering the United States under sanctions imposed by the Trump administration over the ICC's investigation into alleged war crimes by Israeli officials in Gaza. This marks the first time an ICC chief prosecutor has ever been removed, as reported by Euronews.[S1][S2][S3]
The decision follows a lengthy investigation into allegations that Khan engaged in an improper sexual relationship with a junior female staff member and sought to discourage her from pursuing her complaint. The court's oversight body found in June that he had committed a "serious breach of duty and serious misconduct," according to the BBC. A United Nations investigation generated over 5,000 pages of evidence and testimony. Khan has repeatedly denied all allegations, and his lawyer Tayab Ali said he will challenge the decision through all available legal mechanisms, as reported by the BBC and Al Jazeera.[S1][S4]
Political Reactions and Implications
Israeli officials welcomed Khan's removal. Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar, as reported by i24NEWS, said Khan pursued "politicized and outrageous" arrest warrants against Israeli leaders to deflect from misconduct claims. Israeli Ambassador Danny Danon stated that Khan believed his campaign against Israel would shield him from scrutiny. Khan had sought arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in 2024 over the Gaza war, which the ICC judges later issued. Israel is not a member of the ICC and has rejected the court's jurisdiction.[S5][S2]
Khan's legal team has condemned the removal process. Tayab Ali, head of his legal team, said the decision was "political" and that Khan was removed by an executive vote while under sanctions and while the court is under immense political pressure, as reported by Al Jazeera. Ali argued that the removal defied the findings of independent judges who examined the evidence. The United States has launched a campaign to undermine the ICC, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio vowing to "crush the threat" to US sovereignty, according to Euronews. The BBC also reported a US "whole-of-government" campaign to dismantle the ICC "brick by brick".[S4][S2][S1]
Impact on the ICC's Future
The misconduct scandal has placed the ICC under intense scrutiny and deepened internal divisions. The court's supporters fear it will emerge weakened and less capable of addressing grave global threats, as noted by the BBC. The removal process, including the vote and the US sanctions, has raised concerns about political interference in the court's work. Human Rights Watch's Liz Evenson said the ICC should hold itself to the highest standards and ensure a safe workplace, as quoted by the Associated Press via Euronews. The removal triggers an election process for a new prosecutor, but the arrest warrants already issued for figures including Vladimir Putin and Benjamin Netanyahu remain unaffected, as they are decisions of judges, according to multiple sources.[S1][S3][S4]
The investigation into Khan began with a complaint in May 2024, which was initially closed after the alleged victim declined to participate but later reopened. A second referral in October 2024 led to a United Nations Office of Internal Oversight Services investigation that ran from November 2024 to December 2025, producing more than 5,000 pages of evidence. The findings were subsequently reviewed by a panel of three judges who advised on whether Khan's conduct amounted to serious misconduct, according to the BBC.[S1]
