DaysofPal – Member states of the International Criminal Court (ICC) voted on Friday to remove Prosecutor Karim Khan from office after a majority backed his dismissal over allegations of inappropriate conduct.
In a covert vote conducted by the Assembly of States Parties at the UN headquarters in New York, 82 member states supported the decision, according to Reuters, which cited two diplomatic sources.
The vote surpassed the legal threshold required under the ICC’s governing statute, which mandates the support of an absolute majority, at least 63 of the court’s 125 member states.
The decision formally removes Khan, who has served as the ICC’s chief prosecutor since 2021, following allegations of sexual misconduct. Court administrative officials had previously recommended his dismissal, concluding that he had breached the institution’s code of conduct. Reuters reported that internal documents reviewed by the agency supported the recommendation for his removal.
The decision has sparked questions over its timing, with some observers suggesting it came amid heightened pressure from the United States and Israel following the ICC’s issuance of arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on war crimes charges related to the war in Gaza.
Adding to those concerns, an Israeli official told Axios that Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar and Israeli diplomatic missions had intensified efforts in recent days to persuade member states to support Khan’s removal or abstain from the vote.
The vote also came at a time when the United States, which is not a member of the ICC but has persisted in claiming that it threatens American sovereignty, began to criticize the court more and more.
Washington previously imposed sanctions on 11 ICC judges and officials from the Office of the Prosecutor, including Karim Khan, in response to the court’s decision to issue arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant.
Karim Khan has categorically denied the allegations against him. His legal team argued that the administrative body’s recommendation, which paved the way for the dismissal vote, was both unlawful and procedurally unfair, maintaining that it was not supported by sufficient evidence.
Shortlink for this post: https://daysofpalestine.ps/?p=76602
