Note: Single-source report; awaiting corroboration.
The Assembly of States Parties to the International Criminal Court (ICC) has dismissed Prosecutor Karim Khan following disciplinary proceedings related to widely reported sexual misconduct allegations, according to an announcement made at an emergency session at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.
The decision was made by a simple majority vote, with 82 out of 125 member states supporting Khan's removal. The Assembly president described the allegations as serious misconduct and a breach of duty, emphasizing respect for the dignity and privacy of those involved.
Khan, elected in 2021 to serve a nine-year term as ICC prosecutor, faced allegations first reported in 2024. The ICC subsequently requested an external investigation by the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) that year. In 2025, Khan took a leave of absence pending the outcome, during which deputy prosecutors took over leadership.
By March 2026, a panel of judicial experts submitted their conclusions to the Assembly, and in June, the ICC Bureau referred the disciplinary proceedings to the Assembly and suspended Khan with immediate effect, leading to the special session where the dismissal was finalized.
The ICC, established in 2002 by the Rome Statute, prosecutes the gravest international crimes and has 125 member states. However, not all countries have ratified the statute, including Israel and the United States. The court has recently issued several high-profile arrest warrants, including those for Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2023 and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in 2024.
The ICC Assembly is expected to elect a new prosecutor soon to succeed Khan.