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Member states of the International Criminal Court (ICC) voted Friday to remove prosecutor Karim Khan after allegations that he sexually assaulted a female staff member, ending his tenure following a secret ballot.
Khan, 56, had been suspended last month by a key ICC governing body ahead of the vote, in which 82 of the court's 125 member states backed his dismissal for "serious misconduct and a serious breach of duty."
Only 13 countries supported him remaining in office, while 15 abstained and several members did not take part in the vote.
Khan stepped aside from his duties in May 2025 after a female colleague accused him of sexual assault following an inquiry launched the previous year. He has consistently denied the allegations.
The woman, a Malaysian lawyer who worked as Khan's direct assistant and identified herself only as Sarah in an interview with CNN, described "an escalation of attempts" that she said ended in physical assault.
Paivi Kaukoranta, who heads the assembly overseeing the ICC, welcomed the outcome and praised member states for their "spirit of unity" in protecting the court's integrity. She argued the process would allow the court to continue carrying out its mandate on behalf of victims of atrocity crimes.
Khan's lawyer, Tayab Ali, warned the decision could have wider consequences for the court, arguing that elected ICC officials must be shielded from politically driven or procedurally unfair removal processes.
The U.S. also welcomed Khan's removal, with State Department spokesman Tony Pigott calling him "one small cog" in an "irredeemably corrupt institution" and saying the vote would not change Washington's plans to dismantle the ICC.
The Hague-based court acknowledged the outcome in a brief statement, while Khan's lawyer announced that his client would challenge "the lawfulness and fairness of the decision through all available legal mechanisms."
Khan's time as prosecutor included several high-profile cases. In 2024, he secured arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over the Gaza war. The ICC also issued warrants for several Hamas leaders who have since been killed.
Those warrants prompted U.S. sanctions against Khan and several ICC judges. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar called Khan's dismissal "long-delayed" and argued the warrants against Israeli officials were an attempt to distract from the misconduct allegations.
Human Rights Watch urged the court to uphold strong workplace standards, with international justice director Liz Evenson stressing that the ICC should maintain credible mechanisms for addressing abuse and sexual harassment allegations.
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