ICC top prosecutor removed over sexual misconduct allegations
The International Criminal Court has voted to dismiss chief prosecutor Karim Khan following allegations of sexual misconduct and an improper relationship with a staff member. Khan, who denies the claims, remains suspended from legal practice in the UK and faces travel restrictions to the US.
Why it matters
The removal of a chief prosecutor at the world's only permanent war-crimes tribunal threatens the institution's stability and its ability to prosecute global war crimes.
Image source, Reuters Image caption, Karim Khan denies all the allegations against him
Members of the International Criminal Court (ICC) have voted to dismiss Karim Khan as chief prosecutor for alleged sexual misconduct.
Elected the ICC's third prosecutor in 2021, Khan was suspended last month. The decision to remove him was passed with 82 votes in favour.
The court's oversight body found in June he had committed a "serious breach of duty and serious misconduct" by engaging in an improper sexual relationship with a junior ICC staff member and seeking to stop her pursuing her complaint.
Khan has repeatedly denied all the allegations against him.
His lawyers have described his suspension as "unlawful, procedurally unfair and unsupported by evidence".
This process goes beyond the fate of a single prosecutor and could reshape the world's only permanent war‑crimes tribunal.
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