The International Criminal Court has made a historic decision that has sent shockwaves through the international justice system. Member states voted on Friday to dismiss prosecutor Karim Khan following serious allegations that he sexually assaulted a female member of his staff.
The vote was not even close. Out of 125 member states, 82 voted to remove Khan for what they termed "serious misconduct and a serious breach of duty." Only 13 countries stood by him, while 15 others chose to abstain from the vote that was held behind closed doors at the United Nations headquarters in New York.
Khan, who is 56 years old, was suspended last month by a key governing body of the ICC ahead of this decisive vote. The allegations against him first emerged after an inquiry was launched last year, and in May 2025, Khan voluntarily stepped back from his duties to fight the accusations made by one of his female colleagues.
The woman at the center of this storm is a Malaysian lawyer who worked directly as Khan's assistant. In a recent interview with CNN, she described what happened in her own words. She asked to be identified only by her first name, Sarah, and spoke about what she called "an escalation of attempts" that eventually led to physical assault.
Sarah made it clear that there was nothing consensual about what happened. She told CNN that people needed to understand the power imbalance at play. According to her, Khan was not just her boss but everyone's boss, making it impossible for any relationship between them to be truly consensual.
Khan has been in the job since 2021 and has consistently denied all the accusations against him. His lawyer, Tayab Ali, has already indicated that they will challenge the decision through every available legal mechanism. Ali warned that this decision has serious implications that go beyond Khan's individual case.
The lawyer expressed concern about the independence of the ICC, arguing that elected officials must be protected from removal through processes that are political or procedurally unfair. He took to social media to voice his concerns about how the whole thing was handled.
The ICC itself, which is based in The Hague, released a brief statement saying they "take note" of the members' vote. Paivi Kaukoranta, who heads the governing body that oversees the court, praised the member states for their unity in upholding the integrity of the institution.
She expressed confidence that this process would ensure the court can continue to carry out its critical work for the international community and for victims of atrocity crimes around the world.
Khan's tenure at the ICC has been marked by controversy and heavy political pressure. He made headlines in 2024 when he successfully applied for arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant over the Gaza war. The court also issued warrants for several Hamas leaders, though they have since been killed.
These warrants made Khan a target of US sanctions, along with several ICC judges. The United States welcomed his removal, with State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott calling him an example of institutional corruption. Pigott made it clear that America's problem goes beyond just Khan, describing the entire institution as irredeemably corrupt.
It is worth noting that neither the United States nor Israel has ratified the treaty that established the ICC, and both countries have rejected the court's jurisdiction in cases involving them.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar did not hold back in his reaction, saying that Khan's removal was long overdue. He argued that the arrest warrants against Israeli officials were an attempt to distract from the serious misconduct that Khan feared would be revealed. Saar called for the warrants to be revoked immediately, insisting they should never have been issued against a country that is not even a member of the ICC.
Human Rights Watch also weighed in on the matter. Liz Evenson, the organization's international justice director, reminded everyone that the court is bigger than any one person. She described it as a critical court of last resort that anchors a global movement for justice, while also calling on the court to maintain the highest standards.
The decision to remove Khan marks a significant moment for the ICC, which has faced ongoing questions about its credibility and effectiveness. The outcome of this vote shows that member states are willing to take tough action when they believe the court's integrity is at stake, regardless of the political consequences.
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