International Criminal Court Prosecutor Karim Khan dismissed

Member States of the International Criminal Court dismissed its Prosecutor Karim Khan following disciplinary proceedings related to widely reported sexual misconduct allegations at an emergency session at UN Headquarters in New York on Friday.

The decision was made by simple majority during a closed-door vote among the 125-member Assembly of States Parties to dismiss Mr. Khan, who Member States had elected to serve a nine-year term as the court’s prosecutor in 2021.

“The Assembly has decided by a majority of 82 States Parties that…prosecutor Karim Kahn committed serious conduct and a serious breach of duty…and to remove [him] from office,” the Assembly president announced, calling for the dignity and privacy of all those involved.

The ICC, which has a cooperation agreement with the UN, has issued several high-profile arrest warrants in recent years, including for Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2023 and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in 2024.

The ICC Assembly will be charged with electing a new prosecutor shortly.

Watch the ICC oversight body's announcement here:

Since its creation in 2002 by the landmark Rome Statute, the ICC has set international standards for adjudicating the world’s gravest crimes, with seven convictions and a current docket of 34 cases.

The court cannot make arrests without State support, in particular that of its 125 members.

Not all nations have joined, including Israel and the United States, both of which signed the Rome Statute in 2000, but have yet to ratify it.

The UN and the ICC are separate institutions. Decisions concerning the court are taken by the Assembly of States Parties through its own procedures. 

In 2025, Washington imposed sanctions on nine ICC personnel, including judges, the prosecutor and deputy prosecutors, in connection with investigations of alleged war crimes against Israel and the United States.

Misconduct allegations were made against Mr. Khan in 2024.