ICC member states remove prosecutor Karim Khan after misconduct finding
International Criminal Court member states voted on July 24, 2026, to remove prosecutor Karim Khan after an oversight process found serious misconduct linked to sexual-abuse allegations, which he denies.
Member states of the International Criminal Court voted on Friday, July 24, 2026, to remove chief prosecutor Karim Khan following a disciplinary process over allegations of sexual abuse.
The vote was an unprecedented step for the court. Reporting based on sources familiar with the result said 82 of the ICC’s 125 member states supported Khan’s removal during a special meeting at United Nations headquarters in New York.
The decision followed an examination by the court’s oversight body, which found serious misconduct connected to allegations made by a woman who worked for Khan at the ICC. The allegations include claims of coercive and non-consensual sexual behaviour over an extended period.
Khan has repeatedly denied the allegations. His lawyers have also argued that the disciplinary process was procedurally unfair.
Khan, a British barrister, was elected in 2021 to a nine-year term leading the ICC office responsible for investigating and prosecuting genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and the crime of aggression. His removal ends that mandate early and leaves the court facing a leadership transition in its prosecution division.
Two configured AddisMizan source records, from The Guardian and Al Jazeera, reported the removal on July 24.
