ICC members vote to dismiss prosecutor Karim Khan over misconduct claims

Member states of the International Criminal Court voted on Friday to dismiss Prosecutor Karim Khan over allegations of sexual misconduct, according to two diplomatic sources cited by Reuters. The sources said 82 out of 125 member states supported the decision to remove him.

The vote took place during a meeting of representatives from the ICC's 125 member states, held at the United Nations headquarters in New York, to decide whether Khan should remain in office or be permanently dismissed.

The two sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, said the vote concluded with 82 countries backing Khan's removal. Karim Khan denies the sexual misconduct allegations against him.

The allegations attracted widespread international attention after the complainant, identified only as Sarah, spoke publicly in a recent media interview.

According to her account, Khan's repeated inappropriate behavior ultimately led to physical assault, adding that the significant power imbalance between them made genuine consent impossible.

Khan has repeatedly denied these allegations, while his legal team urged ICC member states not to remove him, arguing he was not given a fair opportunity to defend himself during disciplinary proceedings.

His lawyers also warned that dismissing the prosecutor without sufficient legal safeguards could undermine the independence of future ICC prosecutors.