Prosecutor Karim Khan denies any wrongdoing and his lawyers call the jury’s ruling procedurally unfair and unsupported by evidence.
THE HAGUE, Netherlands – The member states of the International Criminal Court are set to vote on Friday, July 24, on the dismissal of the court’s chief prosecutor Karim Khan for the crime of allegations of sexual harassment.
Khan, 56, denies any wrongdoing and his lawyers have called the ruling by the judiciary that led to Friday’s vote illegal, procedurally unfair and not supported by evidence.
The vote comes amid renewed US criticism of the war crimes tribunal, which Washington sees as a threat to its authority.
If ICC member states expel Khan, it will be seen by his supporters as a result of political pressure after the prosecutor sought arrest warrants for senior Israeli officials for alleged war crimes committed in Gaza. Israel denies war crimes, is not a member of the court and has dismissed the documents as false.
Even if Khan survives the vote, his position will be weakened and it will give critics of the court – set up in 2002 by the international community to prosecute war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity – another stick to beat.
Rubio blames the ‘lunatics’ in court
During his visit to the Philippines on Thursday, July 23, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said there are “lunatics and lunatics involved in the ICC” and there is no way US political or military officials could be tried at the court, referring to previous criticisms.
The US, which is also not a member, has already sanctioned 11 ICC judges and prosecutors, including Khan, issuing ICC arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant, and past investigations into US troops in Afghanistan.
Officials from the court’s governing body have said Khan should be fired because he committed misconduct by having an inappropriate romantic relationship with a junior employee, according to documents seen by Reuters.
In order for Khan to be expelled, a majority of at least 63 of the 125 member countries of the court will have to agree in a secret vote to be held at a meeting at the United Nations headquarters in New York. The vote will be taken at 3 pm (1900 GMT) and the results are expected to be announced at 5:30 pm (2130 GMT).
France said Thursday it would vote in favor of removing Khan, who has been suspended since June, after being on voluntary leave since May 2025 pending the outcome of an internal investigation.
The Netherlands, which hosts the court in The Hague, has also said it will support his dismissal.
The election process begins if Khan is removed
Khan’s accuser, a junior member of the ICC, spoke publicly for the first time last week in an interview with CNN where he repeated his claim that the prosecutor had an extramarital affair with her.
Khan’s lawyers told Reuters he denied “any romantic relationship of any kind” with the employee.
If Khan is fired, it will set in motion the process of electing a new ICC prosecutor who is not expected to be voted on before next year.
Any ICC warrants will remain in place even if Khan is fired because only ICC judges have the authority to withdraw warrants. – Rappler.com
