ICC Votes to Remove Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan in Historic First
- Jul 27
- 3 min read
WHAT HAPPENED: For the first time in the history of the International Criminal Court, member states have voted to remove a sitting chief prosecutor. A large majority of the ICC's 125 member states approved the removal of British barrister Karim Khan at a session of the Assembly of States Parties, the court's governing body, following findings of serious misconduct. The vote was decisive: 82 in favor of removal, 13 against, and 15 abstentions.
The removal caps a long-running crisis at the world's permanent war crimes court. Khan was accused of sexual misconduct involving a female aide, allegations first detailed by The Associated Press in a series of investigative stories. Khan has steadfastly denied the accusations throughout.
WHAT WE KNOW: The court's oversight body concluded that Khan had committed what its president, Paivi Kaukoranta, described as serious misconduct and a serious breach of duty. That formal finding set the stage for the removal vote, which required and received a substantial majority of member states.
The vote took place on Friday, July 24, and its consequences are now rippling through The Hague. Deputy prosecutor Mame Mandiaye Niang is set to take over leadership of the Office of the Prosecutor, inheriting a docket that includes some of the most consequential and politically explosive investigations in international law.
Khan, who took office in 2021, had led high-profile investigations and arrest warrant applications involving situations in Ukraine, the Middle East, and Africa. His office's caseload made him one of the most visible figures in international justice, which made the misconduct findings all the more damaging to the institution.
BACKGROUND: The ICC, established by the Rome Statute and operational since 2002, is the world's only permanent court for prosecuting genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. The chief prosecutor is arguably its most powerful figure, deciding which situations to investigate and which individuals to charge. No sitting chief prosecutor had ever been removed before, making this an unprecedented governance test.
The allegations against Khan surfaced publicly in 2024 and triggered an external investigation. Critics of the court had watched closely to see whether an institution dedicated to accountability could hold its own top official accountable, while Khan's defenders argued the timing of the allegations was suspicious given the politically charged investigations his office was pursuing.
The scandal unfolded as the court itself faced extraordinary external pressures, including sanctions and open hostility from powerful non-member states unhappy with its investigations. The internal crisis compounded the external one, leaving the institution fighting for credibility on two fronts at once.
REACTION: The vote split the membership in telling ways. The 82-vote majority signaled broad agreement that the misconduct findings left no alternative, while the 13 votes against and 15 abstentions reflected unease among some states about process and precedent. The United States, which is not an ICC member, publicly welcomed the shake-up.
Human rights organizations have voiced hope that decisive action, however painful, ultimately strengthens the court by demonstrating that no official stands above scrutiny. Others warn the episode has handed ammunition to the court's adversaries and left victims in pending cases anxious about delays.
Khan continues to deny the allegations, and his supporters note that removal by the Assembly is a political and administrative judgment rather than a criminal conviction. Separate legal proceedings, if any, would follow their own course.
WHAT TO WATCH: The immediate question is continuity. Watch how Mame Mandiaye Niang steadies the Office of the Prosecutor and whether pending arrest warrant applications and active investigations proceed on schedule. The Assembly must also decide the timeline for electing a permanent successor, a process that will test the court's unity all over again.
Watch, too, for institutional reform. The scandal has intensified calls for stronger internal oversight mechanisms at the ICC, and member states are expected to debate governance changes designed to ensure complaints against senior officials are handled swiftly and independently.
BOTTOM LINE: The world's war crimes court has done something it had never done in its history: removed its own chief prosecutor. It is at once a wound and a proof of function, evidence that the institution can police itself even at the very top. Whether the ICC emerges weakened or ultimately stronger depends on what its members do next, and the world's most fraught investigations hang in the balance.
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