ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan Dismissed from Position
ICC member states voted to dismiss Prosecutor Karim Khan following the conclusion of disciplinary proceedings regarding allegations of sexual harassment.
Member states of the International Criminal Court (ICC) approved today, Friday, in a vote held at the UN, the dismissal of Prosecutor Karim Khan following disciplinary proceedings conducted against him regarding allegations of sexual harassment.
"Karim Khan thought that if he launched a political witch hunt against Israel and issued arrest warrants, the world would ignore the serious allegations of sexual offenses attributed to him — he was wrong," Israel's Ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, stated. "He tried to use Israel as a human shield for his personal scandal, and today the world rejected this cynicism. Whoever uses the persecution of Israel to save himself will not only fail to escape responsibility but will also lose the trust of the world."
According to Danon, "the attacks against Israel intended to divert attention from disgraceful conduct did not help Karim Khan and will not help Zohran Mamdani."
About a month ago, Karim Khan was suspended from his position pending a final decision. A diplomatic source reported that the executive bureau of the court's governing body determined that Khan had committed serious misconduct following an 18-month investigation into allegations that he had engaged in non-consensual sexual interactions with a lawyer in his office. The bureau recommended removing Khan from his position.
The governing body of the court has forwarded its conclusions to all 125 member states. The bureau's statement confirmed that a decision had been reached in the disciplinary proceedings and that the matter had been referred to the Assembly of States Parties, though details of the decision and related documents remain confidential.
