ICC Member States Remove Prosecutor Karim Khan After Misconduct Finding

Member states of the International Criminal Court removed Prosecutor Karim Khan on July 24, 2026, after the Assembly of States Parties found that he committed serious misconduct and a serious breach of duty.

The decision, taken during a special Assembly session at United Nations headquarters in New York, is the first removal of an ICC chief prosecutor. It leaves the court facing an unprecedented leadership transition while its investigations and prosecutions continue.

What the Assembly decided

According to Reuters, 82 of the ICC’s 125 member states voted for Khan’s removal. Deutsche Welle, citing reporting from several international news organizations, reported 13 votes against and 15 abstentions. Because the ballot was secret and a detailed official roll call was not located in the sources reviewed, those totals should be treated as reported figures rather than a published member-by-member record.

The Assembly’s finding was an institutional removal decision, not a criminal conviction. Khan faced allegations of sexual misconduct involving a female aide, which he has denied. The Assembly determined that the conduct met the standard of serious misconduct and a serious breach of duty under the process governing possible removal from office.

Khan plans to challenge the decision

Khan’s lawyer, Tayab Ali, said Khan would challenge the lawfulness and fairness of the removal through available legal mechanisms, according to The Associated Press.

AP reported that there is no ordinary appeals process for the Assembly’s removal decision, but ICC staff may bring complaints to a special labor tribunal in Geneva. Khan’s lawyers have also objected to aspects of the process, including what they described as limits on his ability to address the session and changes to the applicable regulations. Those objections are separate from the completed Assembly decision and could produce further procedural developments.

The court’s work continues

The ICC’s two deputy prosecutors will continue handling the Office of the Prosecutor’s leadership, management and administration while member states select a replacement, AP reported.

The timing of that selection is not yet clear. Khan’s election in 2021 took nearly 18 months, according to AP, and the next process will take place while the court manages politically sensitive investigations and prosecutions.

Arrest warrants are not automatically affected

Khan’s removal does not cancel or suspend ICC arrest warrants. Arrest warrants are judicial instruments, and only ICC judges can withdraw them. The warrants issued in 2024 for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant therefore remain in force unless judges take a separate decision, AP reported.

The same distinction applies to the court’s broader caseload: a change in prosecutorial leadership does not by itself terminate investigations, prosecutions or judicial orders.

Why the transition matters

The leadership change comes as the ICC faces significant pressure, including U.S. sanctions and threats against court personnel and wider disputes over its investigations. AP reported that the Assembly’s vote was not a proxy vote on a specific ICC situation. That statement does not eliminate the political significance of the transition, but it does mean the vote should not be described as a referendum on the court’s Gaza, Ukraine, Afghanistan or other investigations.

The immediate issue is institutional continuity. The deputy prosecutors must keep ongoing cases moving, while member states must choose a successor capable of operating under political pressure and maintaining confidence in the court’s independence.

For now, the confirmed change is Khan’s removal and the start of an unprecedented replacement process. The next developments are likely to involve his legal challenge, continued administration of ICC cases and negotiations over the court’s next prosecutor.

Sources

• Associated Press — ICC chief prosecutor removed over sexual misconduct allegations
• Reuters — ICC members dismiss prosecutor Karim Khan, diplomatic sources say
• International Criminal Court — Rome Statute