Member states of the International Criminal Court voted to remove chief prosecutor Karim Khan from office on Thursday, the first time in the court’s 24-year history that states have dismissed a sitting prosecutor.
Eighty-two of the ICC’s 125 member states voted for removal, well above the 63-vote threshold required by the Assembly of States Parties. The vote followed an internal investigation that found Khan engaged in serious misconduct involving non-consensual sexual behavior toward a junior female lawyer in his office over an extended period.
Khan, 56, has denied the allegations, and his legal team said it would challenge the removal through available legal channels. The claims first surfaced in late 2024, leading Khan to take administrative leave in May 2025 before the ICC’s governing bureau formally suspended him and referred the matter for a removal vote.
Before joining the ICC, Khan served as lead defense attorney for Kenyan President William Ruto during his crimes against humanity trial at The Hague, a case terminated in 2016. His deputies will oversee the court’s prosecutorial work until a new chief prosecutor is elected, a process expected to conclude next year. Legal experts say active arrest warrants issued during his tenure, including those against Russian and Israeli officials, remain valid since only ICC judges can withdraw them.
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