THE HAGUE, Netherlands: Supporters of the Worldwide Legal Courtroom (ICC) met on July 25 to determine what to do subsequent, a day after its chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, was faraway from his place over claims of sexual misconduct.
A protracted and troublesome course of ended rapidly the day earlier than, when many of the court docket’s 125 member nations voted to take away Khan.
Khan, a British lawyer, was accused of sexual misconduct involving a feminine aide. He has strongly denied the accusations. In line with paperwork seen by the Related Press, he had a sexual relationship with the girl and tried to cease her from persevering with her grievance.
His removing comes at a time when the ICC is already dealing with severe challenges. These embody efforts by the US to weaken or shut down the court docket, which was created to prosecute folks liable for the world’s most severe crimes.
On July 24, a number of nations concerned in ICC investigations met privately through the occasion to debate tips on how to deal with issues brought on by Khan’s removing. This was confirmed by three senior diplomatic officers who knew in regards to the discussions.
One official stated that some nations had already began planning what to do subsequent even earlier than the ultimate vote. The official stated that irrespective of whether or not Khan stayed or was eliminated, it was essential to deliver all members again collectively.
All three officers spoke anonymously as a result of they weren’t allowed to talk publicly.
A particular assembly on the United Nations headquarters in New York was initially deliberate to final the entire day on July 24. Nevertheless, a morning proposal that may have made it more durable to take away Khan failed. Diplomats then rapidly moved to vote, ending the method a number of hours sooner than anticipated, in line with three diplomats conversant in the scenario.
Iva Vukusic, a researcher at Utrecht College who has been following the case, stated she was shocked by how clear the outcome was. She defined that the voting numbers confirmed there was extra settlement amongst nations than folks had beforehand believed.
The choice comes at a time of robust stress on the ICC. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio just lately stated that the US was beginning a significant effort to take away what it sees as a menace from the ICC to U.S. independence.
Simply hours after the vote, Venezuela introduced that it might go away the ICC. The nation stated the court docket’s work exhibits unfair geographic bias, in line with an announcement from its overseas minister, Félix Plasencia.
The administration of Donald Trump had already positioned sanctions on Khan and 12 different ICC employees members. This was in response to ICC investigations into Israeli officers associated to Gaza and U.S. navy personnel in Afghanistan.
The accusations towards Khan grew to become related to the ICC’s investigation into the struggle in Gaza. A few of his supporters argued that arrest warrants issued by the court docket towards senior Israeli officers, together with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, might be affected.
Nevertheless, Palestinian representatives rejected this concept. Palestinian Ambassador to the Netherlands Ammar Hijazi stated that the vote to take away the prosecutor was not a political choice linked to any particular case earlier than the ICC.
Khan’s removing doesn’t instantly have an effect on the arrest warrants, as solely ICC judges can cancel them.
Since Khan stepped down in Might 2025, his two deputy prosecutors have been working the workplace. The prosecutor’s workplace stated in an announcement that they may proceed main and managing the workplace till a brand new chief prosecutor is chosen.
It’s nonetheless unclear when member nations will choose a substitute. The final time a prosecutor was chosen in 2021, the method took almost 18 months and was criticized by civil society teams for not correctly checking candidates’ backgrounds to make sure they met excessive ethical requirements.
Khan should still problem his removing. His lawyer, Tayab Ali, stated that Khan plans to contest the choice utilizing all out there authorized choices, arguing that the method might not have been truthful or lawful.
