The International Criminal Court (ICC) fired Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan on Friday after member states voted to remove him over sexual misconduct allegations, making him the first sitting chief prosecutor in the court's history to lose his position.
The Assembly of States Parties, the ICC's 125-member governing body, voted to remove Khan following disciplinary proceedings involving allegations by a junior female staff member. Khan denies the allegations and says he will challenge the decision, Fox News reported.
Reuters reported that 82 member states voted to remove Khan, surpassing the majority required under ICC rules. Khan stepped aside in May 2025 while the United Nations Office of Internal Oversight Services investigated the allegations, and the ICC suspended him in June 2026 pending Friday's vote.
The Hague-based ICC was established under the Rome Statute to prosecute individuals accused of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression when national courts are unable or unwilling to prosecute those offenses.
The ICC's oversight body concluded that Khan committed "serious misconduct," according to the Associated Press. The allegations stem from claims by a former aide, identified publicly only as "Sarah," who accused Khan of engaging in nonconsensual sexual conduct.
"There is no way for something to be consensual when you have such a power disparity," Sarah told CNN.
Khan's legal team condemned the assembly's decision and argued that it denied him due process.
"The decision is unsupported by any lawful or properly reasoned finding that Mr. Khan KC committed misconduct or breached his duties as Prosecutor," said Tayab Ali, partner at Bindmans LLP and head of Khan's legal team. "He has denied the allegations from the outset and continues to do so."
Ali argued that the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services found no misconduct and said a three-judge ICC panel unanimously concluded in March 2026 that the factual findings did not establish misconduct or a breach of duty. He also accused the Assembly of States Parties of conducting a politically motivated process that prevented Khan and his lawyers from making formal submissions before the vote.
"The Prosecutor of this Court has been removed by an executive vote while under sanctions and while the Court is under immense political pressure," Ali said.
Ali said Khan will challenge the decision through every available legal avenue.
Khan drew international controversy after he sought arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza. ICC judges approved the warrants in November 2024 despite strong objections from Israel and the United States, neither of which belongs to the Rome Statute.
The ICC has not indicated that Khan's removal affects the warrants, which remain in force unless the court withdraws them.
The warrants also fueled controversy in New York politics after Mayor Zohran Mamdani said during his campaign that he would seek Netanyahu's arrest if the Israeli leader visited New York. After taking office, Mamdani acknowledged that New York City lacks the authority to enforce an ICC warrant but urged the federal government to do so.
Khan's dismissal also comes as Secretary of State Marco Rubio intensifies U.S. efforts to dismantle the ICC, arguing that the court threatens American sovereignty.
Although the Assembly removed Khan as chief prosecutor, the ICC has made clear that the arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant remain in effect unless its judges modify or revoke them.
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