In a secret ballot, 82 out of 125 members voted for his removal due to “gross misconduct and gross breach of duty.” K. Khan, 56, was suspended last month by the main governing body of the ICC.
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Sources told AFP news agency that during a closed meeting at the United Nations headquarters in New York, only 13 states voted for K. Khan to remain in his post. Another 15 members abstained, and some countries did not participate in the vote.
K. Khan will challenge “the legality and fairness of the decision using all available legal mechanisms,” his lawyer said, while the Hague-based ICC stated in a press release that it was taking note of the members’ vote.
In May 2025, K. Khan voluntarily stepped down from his duties to fight accusations made by one of his colleagues. An investigation against him was launched last year.
The alleged victim, a Malaysian lawyer who worked as K. Khan’s direct assistant, spoke about what happened in a CNN interview last week.
The woman, who asked to be identified only by her first name Sarah, described an “escalation of attempts” that culminated in a physical assault.
“There’s no way anything could be consensual when there’s such a power imbalance,” she told CNN. “I think a lot of people don’t understand that Mr. Khan was not only my boss, but everyone’s boss.”
K. Khan, who has held the position since 2021, categorically denies the allegations.
After the vote, Paivi Kaukoranta, head of the ICC’s oversight body, praised the members for “the spirit of unity shown in upholding the integrity of the Court.”
This process ensures that the Court “can carry out its important mandate for the benefit of the entire international community and victims of heinous crimes worldwide,” she added.
Credibility
K. Khan’s lawyer, Tayab Ali, warned that the decision has serious consequences beyond this individual case.
“The independence of the International Criminal Court depends on its elected officials being protected from removal through political, procedurally unfair, or processes that contradict the findings of independent judicial bodies,” Ali stated on social network “X”.
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During his tenure, K. Khan faced significant political pressure while leading several high-profile cases.
In 2024, he successfully requested arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over the war in the Gaza Strip.
The ICC also issued warrants for the arrest of several key leaders of the Palestinian militant movement Hamas, but they were later killed.
Due to the warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant, K. Khan, like several ICC judges, became a target of US sanctions.
Washington welcomed K. Khan’s dismissal, calling it an example of institutional corruption.
“It’s good that he’s gone, but he’s just one small cog in this irredeemably corrupt institution,” State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said on social network “X”. The US, like Israel, has not ratified the international treaty establishing the ICC and rejects the court’s jurisdiction in cases involving the US or Israel.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar stated that K. Khan’s dismissal was “long overdue” and that the arrest warrants were “an attempt to divert attention from serious misconduct he feared would be exposed.”
“These warrants, issued to a country that is not even an ICC member, should not have been requested at all and must be immediately withdrawn,” he wrote on social network “X”.
Liz Evenson, International Justice Director at Human Rights Watch, said after Friday’s decision that the Court “is more than one person; it is a crucial court of last resort that underpins the global movement for justice.”
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She added that the ICC should “adhere to the highest standards.”
