The Assembly of States Parties has voted to remove Karim Khan, the chief counsel of the International Criminal Court (ICC), over allegations of sexual misconduct. However, Karim Khan’s lawyers claimed that the decision was politically motivated. In 2024, Karim Khan himself applied for an arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and then Defense Minister Yoav Galant, which was later issued by ICC judges. Since then, the court has been under pressure from the United States and Israel. In such context, on Friday (July 24), the vote to remove him was held. Tayyab Ali, head of Karim Khan’s legal team, claimed that an investigation by the UN watchdog OIOS found no evidence of wrongdoing and a judicial panel had reached the same conclusion. He said the impact of the decision would extend beyond the individual Karim Khan and the independence of the judiciary needed to protect elected officials from such politically or legally flawed removals. It should be noted that after issuing the warrant against Netanyahu, the Trump administration banned Karim Khan and several officials of the ICC. The removal was approved nearly two years after the complaint was filed. British barrister Karim Khan, 56, resigned on his own in June, before an oversight panel found him guilty of ‘serious misconduct’. Now Deputy Chief Counsel Najhat Shamin Khan and Mame Mandiaye Niang are in charge of his office. Tayyab Ali alleged that the removal was done without giving him a fair chance to defend himself and ignoring the decision of independent judges. The woman who complained, identified only as ‘Sarah’, told CNN that over time Karim Khan’s behavior became increasingly aggressive, and she complained of unwanted physical touches while she pretended to be asleep. Karim Khan has denied all allegations. Former EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell commented in an article that the case was part of a wider attack against the ICC. The process of electing a new chief counsel will begin after Karim Khan’s removal, but that vote is unlikely to take place before next year. The decision will have no immediate effect on the warrants issued against Netanyahu and Gallant, as only ICC judges have the power to revoke them. However, after this incident, Israeli officials have renewed their criticism of the ICC investigation. Times BD/ Talha
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ICC chief Karim Khan sacked for sexual misconduct
