The Assembly of 125 member states of the International Criminal Court (ICC) decided on Friday July 24 to relieve Attorney General Karim Khan of his duties, targeted by allegations of sexual assault against a member of his team, accusations which he rejects, several diplomatic sources indicated.
In a secret ballot during an exceptional, closed-door meeting at UN headquarters in New York, 82 member states voted to end the Briton’s mandate, they said, when 63 votes were needed. According to one of these sources, only 13 states voted to keep him in his post.
In May 2025, the Briton temporarily left his position while awaiting the result of an investigation launched the previous year following accusations from a collaborator. He was then suspended in June by the 21 members of the Bureau of the Assembly. Karim Khan, aged 56 and in office since 2021, has always rejected all accusations.
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They also warned against the risk of sending a message that could endanger the independence of future prosecutors, an allusion to the high-profile cases handled by their client.
Karim Khan notably made headlines in 2024 by obtaining arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister Yoav Gallant, in the context of the war in Gaza.
The ICC, whose headquarters is in The Hague, had also issued arrest warrants against senior Palestinian Hamas officials, who have since been killed.
