ICC removes Karim Khan as prosecutor amid sexual misconduct allegations

International Criminal Court (ICC) chief prosecutor Karim Khan was removed from his position on Friday following an 18-month investigation into sexual misconduct allegations. In a secret ballot at UN headquarters in New York City, 82 of the ICC’s 125 member states voted for his dismissal, exceeding the 63 votes required. Khan, who has denied the allegations, was on voluntary leave since May and suspended in June after the ICC’s governing bureau determined he committed serious misconduct. His accuser, identified as “Sarah,” described a pattern of escalating misconduct and unwanted physical contact, stating, “[There was] the pawing, the physical nature of it, but it didn’t start that way.” Israeli officials, including UN envoy Danny Danon and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, praised the decision, with Danon stating that Khan “sought to scapegoat Israel in an attempt to divert attention from his own misconduct.”